A season of scandals

Adarsh, BPO employee

“There is so much one can expect in the next season. And a lot depends on how it will end for Lalit Modi. I do hope by next year, the IPL will get nationalised. That way it will be less stressful. The glamour side of the IPL is something one cannot avoid altogether as it is a part and parcel of the entire package. Still, the after-match parties being hyped were a bit too much.”

Shilpa Ananth, Student 

“As the seasons go on, I guess the importance to the game will gradually reduce. This season, people were more interested in what Shah Rukh Khan had to say than how the team was playing. I lost interest when IPL shifted focus from being a game of national integration to who came with who.”

Dharmendra, BPO employee

“When the IPL was first launched, I was so excited because of the concept. Cricketers from different parts of the world playing together was a great sight. But now, it’s become more of a headache. Entertainment was always a part of the IPL but this season, one got more than one asked for. If two more teams join the next season, it will be very frustrating as there will be too many matches to watch.”
 

Sushanthi, Student
“Even though the entire ‘glam factor’ was thrown out of proportion, the question remains whether there would be a next season. At least, there were some good players like Manish Pandey and Vinay Kumar who got a well-deserved recognition through the tournament.”

Roopa, BPO employee
“From being the business of cricket, the IPL has become the business of the nation. Day by day, controversies are increasing. In fact, the game on the whole, has become biased. Instead of uniting people, I have seen a greater divide between people when their respective states are playing. It’s an unhealthy situation. And if this is the scene in the third season, it will only get worse in the years to come.”

Aditi Banerjee, Student
“The IPL is about entertainment and cricket. But I feel this season, the IPL did go overboard with all the celebrity sightings at the after-match parties and the controversies. At times, I felt it was all planned and fixed because in the last two seasons, it was not so big.”

As told to Megha Shenoy