IPL 5 Excitement Lost

The very fact that I tool serious notice of IPL only on its last game proves that IPL does not hold any more excitement for me, atleast for now. I have ignored this season’s matches to such an extent that I am not even fully aware of the finalists. Anyways, the ritual of writing a new post during every IPL season lures me to attempt yet another post.

This IPL has hardly anything new to offer except for the absence of Shane Warne. Very similar to IPL4, it now seems like a redundant offshoot of cricket that might become dysfunctional any moment.  There were reports of lowest TRP ratings this season initially, but we still have to wait for the full series to be over to make any kind of statement.

The only buzz that happened was about the match fixing blame games towards the end of the series. Perhaps these rumours were deliberately created to bring back the ex-IPL fans to make more noise and pull more disinterested crowd to the stadiums and screens. But this has come too late and will just manage to salvage the TRP for the final match only.

But one thing is certain. Observing the past seasons, one can definitely conclude that IPL without controversies is nothing. And people watch IPL just to stay in touch with the latest IPL gossips.The reason for the dwindling “fans” could also be that Indian audience has found the TV soaps more interesting than cricket and has stayed loyal to them.

It’s time that IPL is revamped with new sustainable features. And these changes must be new changes and not just increasing the teams or increasing the matches. Perhaps a little cleansing of the IPL can help. The Maximum sixes and MRF blimps can’t make one glued forever. Or else it hardly takes one season for people like me to stop watching the series altogether.

Battle won and lost

Here ends a long fought battle. Can we call it a battle? The peculiar thing about this is that I ain’t sure whether this was a battle in the first place and secondly I am not able to figure out who the winner is. Has the battle served its purpose? What was the purpose? Sometimes, it was not even clear who the participants were. Were there more than two sides? Which side was I on? Or was it just me fighting it against myself. Who were my supporters? Were there any traitors? 

The battle was fought without an aim or a strategy.There was no artillery or cavalry. The only sign of a battle having taken place was the damages that could be seen. The debris scattered around were the sole witness of the war. But, still it was difficult to ascertain the extent of damages or to find out which side the damages were more. Since, this wasn’t a normal battle, I kept wondering about the rules of the game. Would normal rules apply here? Or should I twist the rules or as they say “Change the game”.

For the moment,I don’t see any enemies’ flags. I can’t sight any approaching units. No sound of bugle or horns. Not even the typical “Get ready” or “Fire” commands. Have the enemies retreated? Does it mean our victory or rather, my victory? Or are they devising Trojan type strategy and will make a comeback? Should I let my guard down and relax?Or should I enjoy the peace, even though it might be momentary.

May be there was no battle at all. It was just hallucination, a dream or perhaps it was the lack of any battle that made me imagine everything. Was it a subconscious effort to fill the void? We all love to be occupied with something. If we don’t find anything, we desperately attempt to create an illusion of being full and thus ending up filling garbage.

My thoughts kept pondering over the way battles have been fought in our history and mythology. Did the heroes that emerged victorious also have the same feeling? Did they really feel ecstatic after the war? What did they do immediately after winning? Did they go back to the kins of the defeated and offered their condolences. Or was there a feeling of repent? It is of no use to compare this situation to others. This time is different. Perhaps it’s time to think beyond. Instead of being burdened by morality, it is time to go ahead and take the next step.