THE EXPERTS
Readers take it to another level and prove they are as classy as game itself
Matthew Smith, Sports Editor
When a huge event like the IPL comes to your own doorstep, it is crucial to cover it in an innovative way, unlike coverage you can just pick up from any outlet or website. The Gulf News readers’ really opened up our coverage in a new direction, allowing the greater audience to get the feel of what it is like to be a fan watching the match and going through the roller-coaster of emotions. It also allowed us at Gulf News to learn from the fans themselves and gain a valuable insight into how they read the match for the supporter’s viewpoint, rather than a neutral reporter. Fascinating.
Shyam A. Krishna, Senior Associate Editor
The IPL is all about passion.
So when ardent cricket fans write about the action on the field, passion becomes a part of it. That’s what happened when Gulf News asked readers to cover the IPL 2021. I found that passion was not the sole driving force of the readers. They are students of the game as well. Their insights and analyses often surprised me. It helped provide me with a good idea of what the readers are looking for.
Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor
The journey through the UAE leg of IPL 2021 was a rather new experience for me — and I say this after been through every edition of the league since 2008 with Gulf News. Talk of making the IPL coverage an interactive experience and here it was: each of these eight fans — who ranged from being the dad of a wonderkid CSK fan, a doctor, professionals and a student — kept us on our toes. They were passionate, knowledgable but at the end of the day sporting, always ready for banter and a laugh at the expense of their respective franchises.
Mr Cricket UAE Anis Sajan
When it comes to cricket, and especially the IPL, it is the fans who lift a team. They have become more important in this difficult period of Covid-19 which has restrictions on fans going in to the stadium, hence the engagement of every fan on Gulf News was like a shout out for their favourite franchise. Having spoken to many cricketers who were part of this IPL, they followed their views, banter and loved it. Fans give them motivation to perform and give their best. And this initiative by Gulf News was followed by most of the franchises as I got messages from players how happy they feel when their fans cheer them.
A.K.S. Satish, Assistant Editor
When it comes to the knowledge of cricket, the IPL in particular, there is not much of a difference between a fan and an ‘expert’ — every expert is a fan of some franchise, either from their city or due to the stars in those teams. This is the realisation I got from the Season 14. This IPL gave me a chance to interact with some of those fans, who have very high knowledge of the game, and Mr Cricket UAE. I enjoyed the banter with the fans and Anis, which made it more interesting.
Imran Malik, Assistant Editor
Cricket has always been known as the gentleman’s game. I am pleased to see that it still retains this title and it’s thanks to our Gulf News readers. Fair play is associated most with cricket and this has shone through not just in the thrilling matches but via our interactions with our passionate fans. They ensured to maintain their decorum — even when their teams were losing. Kolkata tweeted a congratulatory message to Chennai after losing the final which was ever so classy — just like the sport still is.