They are in! No they are not! They should be but they are not! So where are they?? That is how the story of cricket players of Pakistani nationality in IPL’s short history of 2.25 editions unfolds. The 0.25 is for IPL’s third edition for which the clever trailer has been released and enthusiastically received. The current guessing game for the day is what will be the final outcome of all the hue and cry surrounding the no-buy issue of the Pakistani players.
So what if Ekta Kapoor has stopped churning out her regular soaps. IPL is living up to its promise of the great entertainer and providing audience with a daily dose of high drama with a current track hogging the limelight within the ambit of an overall story scheme. The drama unfolding currently is about the Pakistani players’ (non)inclusion – all within the higher story scheme of transmuting Indian Premier League into Indian Polemic League. The IPL is thriving on one controversy or the other from day one.
The much-debated current track involves a horde of performers like the Pakistani players, its cricket board, its government, its general public, the Indian government, the IPL franchisees and Indian public to name a few. Much like a daily soap – each day ends with a high point in the story. One day the Pakistani players are sidelined. Next day they and their entire nation cries foul. The third day no less than the Indian government defends itself. The fourth day Badshah Khan expresses empathy with them. The week rounds off with the inclusion of one of them in an IPL team.
But as with soaps, one can follow and enjoy this story only in one way – we need to put our thinking caps aside and let our mind go to sleep. Else our thinking minds are apt to put forward questions that will be uncomfortable to the performers.
What is with these Pakistanis – they will play when they want (IPL 1), will stay away when they want (IPL2) and cry foul when ignored (IPL3). The Pakistanis need to understand that IPL is about business and profit before it is about sports and nationality. After they were barred from playing in the second edition by their board and government, was it any surprise that the franchisees were wary of including them in their team. Which team owner would like to invest in resources that may (be forced to) play truant at the last moment – that too high risk and inflammatory resources bearing in mind the Shiv Sena / MNS threats.
À la the mindless soaps, I fail to understand too why the Knight Rider didn’t choose a Pakistani player himself when he had the opportunity if he feels so empathetically for them. And why train the gun on IPL officials now and lay blame at other franchisees doorstep. And if the Pakistani pride is so hurt why are they now willing to be a part of the tournament? Is it the lure of money? Even at the cost of hurt national pride? So with the inclusion of Abdul Razzak in Deccan Chargers – is this track over? For more on the IPL-Pakistani players saga please tune into the same show/ same channel/ same media tomorrow at the same time.
And how does all this fit into the larger IPL story. The first edition was a story by itself. The second season thrived on security issues, date clash with elections and shifting venue to international shore. Like in any business its products and services need to occupy top of the mind recall in its customers mind – so is true with IPL. It needs to make its fair share of hullabaloo to gain visibility. More the controversy more the interest – better for IPL business. And nothing fires imaginations better than an Indo-Pak saga. Who can say that all the ongoing drama is not scripted – to perfection - by the IPL bosses to garner as much possible hype. In this they have been successful. Once again IPL bags the award for the hottest conversation topic!
