Like the previous years, the league will have its detractors this time too

The world’s biggest T20 cricket league will have started by the time you read this piece. Like every year, there have been sporadic attempts to derail it by people with agendas that are completely unconnected to cricket.

Apart from the first year when nobody knew how big the IPL was going to be, there has been an effort in every subsequent year to stop it or cause some problems for its smooth running. This has become almost an industry just like when a big-budget film is to release, there is someone who pops up to claim credit for the story or the music score or anything to delay or stop the release of the film.

Most times these people are hoping that the filmmakers or in the case of IPL officials, they will be approached to settle out of court so there is no delay and that settlement is invariably by paying off the person or persons who are looking to stop the action. Among the few things that the world envies India is the IPL and it is so sad that Indians are trying to put a hurdle in the way of the smooth running of the world’s popular league.

This does not happen anywhere else in the world where countries go out of their way and over the top in proclaiming that their league or tournament is the best in the world.

Popularity does have its drawbacks and this is one that the IPL has to bear with every year. The other disappointing aspect is that some of those who make a living by writing or commenting about Indian cricket are only looking to criticise and not offer any constructive comment.

Not for a moment is it being suggested that when things are wrong that they should not be reported but when you see some who are forever nitpicking about something or the other, then you wonder if they realise that they are trying to pull down the very thing that is putting bread on their tables.

And yes, most of it is sheer jealousy that they are not getting a share of the pie out of the rich IPL.

Even the first-ever Mumbai T20 league had its share of hurdles and whatever the reasoning of those having a grievance, the important thing is that the game must go on just like the show must go on in the arena of films and plays. The grievances can be addressed after the game is done but attempts to stop it are simply not cricket.

Be that as it may, the Mumbai T20 league showed that there is talent aplenty in Mumbai and some of them would have been picked up by some of the IPL franchises if the tournament had taken place before the player auction for IPL was done.

The finals went down to the wire and the crowd was more than 20,000 — which was terrific and that too on a weekday.

The IPL will go ahead despite the obstacles being put in its way for quite simply, the cricket lovers want it and while the connoisseurs may still disapprove of it the younger lot is all in favour of it.

More crucially, what the IPL has done is to bring in another kind of spectator, the housewife and the elderly who love watching the action in the comfort of their living rooms and by the time its halfway season — are rooting for one team or the other.

It’s tough to find who is the favourite at the moment, for all teams look wellbalanced and of course a little bit of luck is always involved for the team to emerge triumphant in the end.