Are we killing the golden goose?
The success of the IPL in India has distorted the cricket landscape, writes Greg Chappell in The Hindu
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
The success of the IPL in India has distorted the cricket landscape, writes Greg Chappell in The Hindu. Cricket has gone through massive changes in recent years and continues to do so. Whether the game will survive is not the question; now, it is can the three formats survive?
IPL is no longer a domestic competition. The ICC must recognise this and clear the international calendar for the IPL to preserve the integrity of Test cricket, or risk weakening it immeasurably.
Test cricket has to be respected by the custodians of the game first and foremost. Central contracts must recognise the importance of the longer version of the game and remunerate Test cricketers handsomely.
While cricket continues to enjoy prime position with the Indian sports' fan, the question arises - can India possibly fall in love with a different sport? The Economist's Schumpeter blog looks at how the gap between cricket and other sports in India could just shrink.
This year a clutch of new contests is cropping up in India. Each aims to replicate at least some of the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the glitzy domestic cricket tournament which started in 2008 and is now worth billions of dollars.
What is more, a rising middle class can afford to follow more than one sport. And the new leagues do not have to start from scratch in finding an audience. Hockey is widely seen as India’s second game. Football has long had pockets of support in certain states, particularly in West Bengal and in the former Portuguese colony of Goa. The English premier league is gaining popularity across the country, especially among wealthier Indians who have lived in the west.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo