To play or not to play?

Comments: 16 

Posted by shim on (March 14 2009, 18:40 PM GMT)

Not only should they re schedule but they need to reduce. IPL has too many games They should reduce the number times play each other to no more than two and have a knock odf series from quaterfinal onwards. Last year, I signed up for the series and watched some games but it was too many and too boring.

Posted by sitaram58 on (March 14 2009, 14:12 PM GMT)

Politics or Cricket. Thats easy - rescehdule the elections - better still postpone them, better still cancel them altogether. Modi for PM and Nirnajan Shah for President - they can't be any worse than the current lot!!!!

Posted by Accurate on (March 13 2009, 21:06 PM GMT)

The IPL should be held as scheduled. I have an idea for the government - they can postpone the elections- anyway this is going to result in a hung parliament and there will be no govt anyway post elections - and there will be a colossal waste of public money. IPL will help getting in money from corporates and this can help develop the game. The useless politicians should wait for their turn - cricket does come first and will provide entertainment to a society which needs this in the current recession and gloom So cricket lovers - let us unite and vote for IPL and not parties - they can wait for their turn Chandrasekhar

Posted by twoing on (March 13 2009, 19:51 PM GMT)

India is the worlds most populous democracy but the voting turnout is very low because most people are yet to understood that voting is their duty. Because of its huge popularity IPL is not only a huge distraction for the security forces but also for the voting public. The whole security and governance will be stretched to its maximum limits. Even the government forces cant guarantee foolproof security. How can toothless private security firm claim the same? A lot of jealous non-state/state actors are hellbent to sabotage our lifestyle. The 200 IPL players and 10 venues are a very soft target with the whole world's eyes fixed on it. Suicidal terrorists have twice defied the logic to attack sportsmen. When they can go against common sense to attack a neutral team in their own country, what will change their motive to attack a perceived enemy, especially when they have well established logistics in place. IPL should be a very trivial sacrifice to be made for greater common good.

Posted by gullyFAN on (March 13 2009, 15:24 PM GMT)

@IndusKnight: "India has all the borrowed money at the moment." -Are you the finance minister of INDIA?

Posted by johnfrancis on (March 13 2009, 15:08 PM GMT)

Whether the IPL Season 2 takes place this year or not, the recent developments has severly dented Mr. Modi's pride and influence. Just when he thought he was beyond all means in the world of cricket, he has come crashing down and is now dependent on a few external factors to have the tournament go on. Personally IPL is a great concept, it has opened an avenue which many thought was non existent. IPL should acknowledge the fact that they borrowed the idea from ICL, although they have taken it to a whole new level. Quite frankly, ICL did not live upto expectations. Banning players and others associated with ICL is ridiculous. Afterall, in the world of Indian Cricket, Kapil Dev is far greater than what Lalit Modi can ever aspire to be. Spoiling the livelihood and splitting cricket teams around the world was never a good gesture. I beleive Karma has spoken, It would be interesting to see whether Lalit Modi and Co will have a change of heart.

Posted by Merwin on (March 13 2009, 14:33 PM GMT)

I'm a huge cricket fan but the reality is India has turned into a dangerous place. I would be happy if not just the IPL but all international cricket is canceled in India for the next two years or till the situation is stabilized. India boasts of a huge population and there can never be enough security. The terrorists have got a taste of the publicity that they get when the cricketers are targeted and there are bound to be opportunities for them when there are about 200 players and staff in more than 14 cities. I really do not wish something drastic takes place which would bury cricket in India once and for all.

Posted by Subra on (March 13 2009, 13:58 PM GMT)

India is not Pakistan - often had we heard it said. And true enough even with the Mumbai and Jaipur incidents, India is a much safer place - under normal circumstances. But with the elections ging on - the security forces will rightly keep that as their first priority. BCCI must understand that and schedule matches in such a way that security is not compromised. The FICA request (in my mind) is a fair one and if as the BCCI says that all measures will be taken, what is the harm in inviting the FICA to work with BCCI in allaying the players' fears. They must be invited to see what measures are being taken. I am aware that India has no Players' Association, because the players are looked after very well ny the BCCI. Why join a Union when you have a generous boss? I pray that the IPL carries on and that cricket is the winner. Siva srom Singapore

Posted by jazzaaaaaaaa on (March 13 2009, 12:00 PM GMT)

I think it should be postponed, i have a bad feeling that something will happening this tournament. I think after what happened in Lahore and what happened in Mumbai, there should be a big review on security on the subcontinent, even if that means theres a small postponement on cricket in Asia. Personally Im not a fan of the IPL, I see it as just a tournament with no meaning (for me because Im not from India) where players gather for a quick buck, but with its popularity in India it is a big target.

Posted by arpitgarg on (March 13 2009, 08:44 AM GMT)

Clever collection of comments. All of the comments are from ppl save Wessels who have history of confrontation with BCCI including the outspoken Mr. Bedi. Plz do include some comments from the other side as well to get the complete picture.