"IPL is all fixed," storms out a friend of mine hitting the woodwork nearby, refusing to accept the reality as Kings XI Punjab edged out Rajasthan Royals in the super over a few days ago. Why did you say that? - the other one asked curiously.
Well, where to start? Let's begin with the above-mentioned game, he starts narrating his theory.
Steven Smith - the world will agree that this guy got the immense ability in the field and is a live wire to restrict the opposition's scoring being blessed with inborn fielding skills. But the Australian faulted, not once, but twice in the final over to allow two crucial runs to be completed. Young wicket-keeper Sanju Samson too fumbled the return from sweeper cover to gift another run.
Bowling all-rounder Axar Patel heaved the final (full and wide) delivery of the match to the same region that just landed inside the boundary and went over.
Suddenly the game that was once well and truly belonged to the Royals ended with the scores level. Super over out of nowhere. Drama, pressure, nerves - these IPL games always offer something out of the box - don't they? You always see a team make a highly impossible comeback after being written off at some stage during the course of the match.
Just because there are more close finishes and lot of unimaginable comebacks you can't say it is all fixed. The quality of the teams, some legends involved along with the reputation of BCCI(!) and the game at risk how can the organisers do that? Impossible, the other counters.
That is not all. You saw Virat Kohli drop some easy chances, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane quite a handful (some were tough though).
Maybe they were not that good patrolling the outfield rather perform duty in the inner circle.
What about JP Duminy? AB de Villiers - Even the superman missed.
Yes, one cannot point fingers at some catches missed here and there to call it all staged. There were some extraordinary balls being held too. Tim Southee-Karun Nair catch immediately runs in front of one's eyes. Faf du Plessis is making it a habit to cling on to skiers from difficult positions. There were numerous memorable moments in the field.
What about the bowling then? Specifically No-balls and full tosses, even beamers.
Chris Morris bowled a friendly full toss; Johnson returned the favor. Waist high no-balls followed the pattern the other night.
Some moments here and there are very suspicious to a common man's eye. But how can the entire tournament be fixed? You just can't ask the Dhonis and Yuvrajs to play by a script. Sehwags and Gambhirs will hate losing and so does Kohlis and the huge Australian contingent that plies trade in India season after season.
How much money one should play Dravid to throw down his cap in frustration after every moment of the match that goes against his wish. How many it will cost a Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting to witness their team lose back-to-back matches with a stiff face.
You cannot buy a Gilchrist or a Ganguly to get out for a duck, or can you? How can you even imagine Dravid or a Tendulkar to play cheap shots? How on earth would anyone put their money on them to fail? They fight for the game that is long lost and never want to come second best.
Moreover, if the board themselves write the script and approach the players someone should've leaked that out as we are in the 8th season which would in turn humiliate the tournament, game and nation.
Moreover, if the board themselves write the script and approach the players someone should've leaked that out as we are in the 8th season which would in turn humiliate the tournament, game and nation.
Having said that, some fault-finders will remind us that just because one has the larger image doesn't guarantee anything. Many top players of the game including a former Team India captain and a Protean skipper - both then great leaders and dedicated cricketers were found doing malpractice. Not long ago a Kiwi great was in the news for allegedly attempting to lure fellow players including the current skipper into fixing.
Why go that far, the T20 circus has its own share of infamous events: A two-time World Cup winner and a regular figure for India, the right-arm seamer wasted his life on a few lakhs! What a shame! Who knows, that sensation with high self-belief might've well challenged Kapil Dev's legacy with the ball! That delivery to dismiss Jacques Kallis (Durban, 2010) will forever remain carved in memory lanes.
When players of such international value and those with loads of bank balance switch to the wrong lane, the question of loyalty among players do rise among regular observers of the IPL, especially after acting observer to the mystery that unfolds.
Yet, the second guy refuses to give up. This is not World Wrestling Entertainment where the wrestlers reherse the entire match numerous times and exactly exhibit the script and end it that way - 'This is Live; this is Life'. More than a dozen names have used this platform to be international stars - regular, first choice players for their respective national sides.
While the wise men have continuously denied IPL performances is not the sole criteria for selections, it surely does boost their CV.
Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin were largely unfamiliar names, if not entirely unknown when the IPL was inaugurated with a blazing 158* from the blade of Brendon McCullum. That was like a miracle of sorts back then. Why was the question not asked those days? Chris Gayle murdered almost everything throwed at him, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 2013, on his way to an unbelievable 175*.
Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Shaun Marsh, David Miller, Mohit Sharma - these guys and many others owe a lot to IPL.
Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Sandeep Sharma - there is no guarantee that we all would have come across these names if not for the IPL. If everything was staged why boost players with no background at all?
Not everyone becomes stars overnight. Only a handful have grabbed on. Many were lost in the jungle. Paul Valthaty, Sudeep Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary and many more vanished from the spot almost in a blink of an eye.
That happens in international cricket too - A lot of talented youths spoil their careers going the wrong way.
Remember the players were made of skin and blood, not automatic robots to field, bowl and bat with cent percent effectiveness once in every two days that too across one and a half months.
Mistakes happen. Even big players fall prey to pressure, sometimes. Even though, there were some proven malpractices here and there one cannot say the entire tournament to be fixed. How can you instruct all 22 on the field to execute their role with perfection? How can you instruct a Mayank Agarwal to save a six by juggling the ball in the air, even though you do, what is probability that everything happens exactly as per planned. This is just an exaggerated reaction and an easy window to escape from taunts for the fans who end up on losing side, concludes the one who seems to be giving practical reasons.
On another day AB de Villiers might take an IPL hat-trick, Ravindra Jadeja might score a 40-ball hundred, Chris Gayle might complete an all-ran-four. The game never stops to surprise us, across various scenarios and dimensions. Unexpected happens all the time and so does in this game of probabilities. Let us believe in the spirit of the game and wish there were many more close games in future that we all pledge to be witnessing without raising the question of staging again, please.
The above conversation is an imaginary one between the heart and mind of an avid cricket follower.
The above conversation is an imaginary one between the heart and mind of an avid cricket follower.
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