The enthusiasm is unmistakable. The organizers seem well prepared. The tournament seems set to take off sometime soon, possibly as early as next week. Well, it’s the IPL, the desi form of the Indian Premier League.

Well, grapevine tells me that yesterday was when the much awaited ‘bidding’ for players took place. Players were bought and sold (like cattle in the market). The same source also tells me that the costliest players were Saladi Rahul and Ankit Rai. (Wonder why the organizers haven’t revealed the details of the bidding). Looks like the all-rounders are in demand for this 12 over-8 player-tennis ball cricket tournament.

Now let us look at the proposed tournament a little closely. There are obviously a lot of positives which are palpable. An opportunity being given to fringe players, more activity in the campus, bohemian among batches and houses (which by the way, has seen some real low standards). It also ensures that the cricket part remains the focus, unlike the Indian Premier League. However, a lot of issues can crop up. The first and the most important thing- How long can the tournament be continued and the enthusiasm maintained? The tournament will have at least 8*7/2 + 3= 31 matches. Each match will probably require a couple of hours. Where we have had so many issues regarding conduct of inter house and batch matches (they have never been held on time), this number looks like a tall order. The other issue, of course, is regarding the batch and house cricket matches. Will they be held as usual? Will the enthusiasm for cricket ball matches remain among the players? Will the football-biased PED support the initiative?

The success of the tournament will depend largely on the answers to these questions.