Indian Premier League organisers spent big on the opening ceremony, hoping fans will regard the return of the rich Twenty20 series as a welcome distraction from the struggles of the national team.
Indian Premier League organisers spent big on the opening ceremony, hoping fans will regard the return of the rich Twenty20 series as a welcome distraction from the struggles of the national team rather than a reminder of them.
American pop star Katy Perry and leading Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor performed at Tuesday’s opening.
India were whitewashed 4-0 in consecutive away Test series in England and Australia. They also failed to qualify for the finals of the Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia and the Asia Cup in Dhaka last month, losing their No 1 ranking in Tests and sliding down the ODI standings within a year of winning the World Cup.
“A performer of her (Perry’s) calibre makes the occasion even more special for the IPL family — players, organisers and fans,” IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said in a statement. “The verve and originality of her music matches that of the competition.”
Even as the media speculates of a possible overkill of the game in recent months, Rupert Murdoch-owned Star TV won the rights for all cricket in India till 2018 for a whopping Rs3,851 crore. The contract, which includes broadcast, internet and mobile rights, covers 96 games and comes to about Rs40 crore per game. The previous rights holder, Nimbus, used to pay Rs32 crore per game before its contract was terminated over a payments issue.
Two-time defending champions Chennai Super Kings play Mumbai Indians in the season-opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. The fifth edition, comprising nine city-based franchises, will feature 76 matches and will run till May 27.
The IPL has given cricket an even higher profile, with billionaires and Bollywood beauties falling over each other to buy stakes in the teams, which feature players from around the world.
Franchises clamoured for players during the 2012 player auction in February and during the preceding month-long trading window. Last year’s runner-up Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to retain West Indian Chris Gayle, who joined them as an injury replacement and emerged player of the series last year, while Pune Warriors last week signed up Australia captain Michael Clarke, who will make his IPL debut during the second half of the season after Australia’s tour of the Caribbean. But the Pune team, which agreed to compete after threatening to withdraw over differences with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, will be without South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith.
The IPL has gained in significance as it offers an opportunity to players to get acclimatised to the subcontinental conditions ahead of the World T20 to be staged in Sri Lanka this year.
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