This is the silly season of cricket, so being to the point (literally) and maybe even inane, is quite in. So here's my take on why the Champions League T20 isn't justifying the pre-event hype… as yet.
1. T20s… just too blah
Whatever anyone says about the death of Tests or ODIs, perhaps people are finally waking up to the fact that one T20 game is pretty much like the other. Yawn…
2. Where are our
He-Men?
We Indians like our desi big brands. Other than a few good men, Dravid and Kumble in Bangalore, or Gambhir and Sehwag (and to a lesser extent Nehra and Karthik) in the Daredevils, there's not much for Indians to get starry-eyed about. (Except in that cool boat ad). No Sachin, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Bhajji, Ganguly, Zaheer or even poor Ishant.
3. Phoren teams? So what?
When we don't care about our own domestic cricket (am sure Neo isn't even asking for the ratings of this year’s Challenger Series) what chance of our caring about cricket or cricketers from clubs most of India has never even heard of?
4. Howzatt! You mean, ‘Who's that’?
We Indians also like our designer foreign brands. And they're not around. No Smith, Ponting, Hayden, Flintoff, Pietersen, Warne, Vettori, AB… and no melodramatic Pakistanis! Okay, so we have Gilchrist holding the Deccan flag aloft and Gibbs disappearing before he can say hello for the Cobras. Then there's Brendon McCullum (traitor!) on for Otago, that quiet Kallis, and a subdued, shorn Symonds. Not enough, mate.
5. Big-ticket event doesn't equal big crowds
Basically, despite the tournament being cricket's richest prize, the BCCI-IPL is treating the event just like they treat domestic cricket in India --- with disdain. Outside of the corporate boxes, who the hell cares about marketing the event properly? So other than radio and a couple of low-profile events, there’s zero visibility.
6. Bad timing, bad planning
If you want Indian crowds in, no point having an event while kids are having their half-yearly exams. Of course, we can't blame this on the Indian cricket Board this was apparently the only available window. Their fault though — they wanted it!
7. When in India, we do as the BCCI does
The IPL franchises seem to have taken a leaf out of the BCCI’s book in terms of advertising/marketing, so it's basically zilch unless it's IPL time. If they want to be a mega sports business, they need to look at US pro teams --- charity events now and then, community interactions, fan base activity through the year, in some way or the other.
8. DC, DD, RCB… what happened to you?
Of course, the lack of interest might get worse, given how our IPL heroes have been shown where they stand so far. At the time of writing, one game apiece and each one lost. Big difference guys, between teaming up once or twice a year and playing as a team throughout in every format of the game — even the ones the IPL think is dead (Tests and 50-over).
9. Telly-belly
Let's admit it. For many of us, the age of the live cricket match is behind us. Unless there's something very special to take us to the ground (or if you're on the job), why brave the heat, the crush, people's smelly armpits, parking your car at some great distance, the lack of clean loos, water of dubious quality in plastic packets and no big hitting (this is for the Kotla pitch), if you can sit at home and switch off the telly when you're bored.
10. This club vs country business!
For all the drama and melodrama, there’s nothing quite like an India versus someone match.
Who the heck does one support here? Even for a Dilliwallah, how does one drum up the passion for a Dirk Nannes bowling, say, to a VVS Laxman? Sunil Gavaskar at least played for Somerset, so he's rooting for them. What of us lesser mortals?