While cricket remains center to IPL’s appeal, the league has often hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. Recently, an IPL team owner’s heated talk with his captain generated much curiosity days after a superstar hit back at critics, especially the commentators, for pointing out his strike-rate and difficulty against spinners which led to a fiery reaction from a legendary cricketer.
Former India cricketer and member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad Balwinder Singh Sandhu has questioned the timings of such incidents, suggesting that these might be designed to recapture the interest of a weary audience midway through an IPL season.
“…I have observed a trend, Sandhu wrote in a column for mid-day. “Ever since the IPL began, right in the middle of the tournament when viewers get a bit tired of watching the T20 action, controversies crop up, almost like clockwork. It works to reinvigorate following of the tournament. It could be speculated whether this is a marketing strategy to sustain excitement around the IPL over the years.”
“By the way, wasn’t there a recent controversy concerning Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka when he appeared to be giving captain KL Rahul a spray post a heavy loss to Sunrisers the other night?” he added.
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Sandhu also touched upon Virat Kohli’s scathing remarks aimed at his critics which led to Sunil Gavaskar defending the commentators citing they have no agenda against anyone and they’re just reporting what they are witnessing.
Sandhu, a former teammate of Gavaskar, advised players to not react negatively to criticism based on facts and instead use it to improve their skills.
“If a senior cricketer in the commentary box makes factually correct comments, then the player being criticised should take it as constructive feedback and strive to improve his or her skills, ensuring performances answer the criticism,” wrote Sandhu who played eight Tests and 22 ODIs between 1982 and 1984.
“Instead, players often overreact to protect their reputation and fan base, regardless of whether the comments are personal, issue-based or factually correct. By reacting strongly, they inadvertently fuel controversy, just the tonic required to bring back the buzz for the tournament and ultimately boosting viewership and revenue,” he added.
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