IPL for Laos?

After previous seasons included matches in South Africa (2009) and UAE (2014), IPL is no stranger to travel outside its home country; nevertheless, today’s announcement that the tournament is to be used to promote cricket in south-east Asia comes as something of a surprise. Michael Jones ponders whether such a tournament can succeed.

Perhaps we should be used to surprise announcements from BCCI by now: unexpected inclusions in squads, equally unexpected exclusions, political moves, court cases… Nevertheless, the statement released today that, in an effort to expand the game beyond its traditional strongholds, the board is planning to hold the 2017 IPL in Laos, is likely to raise more eyebrows than most.

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“Remarkable” is one description of the move — not least for the apparent commitment it shows to the globalisation of cricket, something which has never previously seemed to concern the board too much; lest we forget, it is more than fifteen years since Bangladesh played their inaugural Test, yet their neighbours have not yet invited them to make a tour, despite every other Test-playing country hosting them within five years of their debut. But why make such a commitment by moving the IPL, and why choose Laos rather than one of the leading Associate countries, where hosting major matches could give the game a further boost? READ: IPL 2016: Zaheer Khan appointed as captain of Delhi Daredevils

It is not that cricket has no tradition at all in south-east Asia: it was included in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 (in which the home team participated), and Singapore has hosted a handful of ODIs. In the colonial era, what were then known as Burma and Malaya (now Myanmar and Malaysia) hosted private touring teams, who played local sides composed primarily of British expatriates who happened to be based there. But Laos? It is not even a member of ICC, never mind having a national team. On the face of it, the only thing it appears to have in common with India is that both have indigenous populations of elephants.

Looking deeper, though, Laos does have the ancient game of flip-aloor, played for centuries by monks in temple courtyards, which bears a striking similarity to cricket. April is the traditional start of the season, and the first fish to be caught in the Mekong that month — known as the poissond’Avril — is preserved and used as a ball. The aloor (bat) must be “flipped” in the player’s hands before striking the poisson, in an apparent precursor of the switch hit. READ: KKR nearing end of training session in Bloemfontein ahead of IPL 9

For Oo Lal Prif, a leading flip-aloor player who once forced the fishermen to catch a replacement “ball” by hitting the original poisson onto the roof of the temple, the turning point came when the availability of Indian TV channels in Laos introduced them to the international form of the game. “We had all played flip-aloor since we were children, but only with each other in the village. Now we saw that people in other countries played a game that was almost the same as ours. If we learned their rules, we could play with them too.”

“One of us was visiting India, he brought back some kit and we started playing. Players from all the villages wanted to join in, and soon we started a league. T20 is the most popular because everyone likes a big hit — one batsman for Huay Xai Hurricanes played a shot which cleared the river and landed in Thailand, the first player in the history of Lao cricket to hit a ball into the next country. The Thais saw it land and now some of them have started playing too.”

“Of course there will be some problems hosting the IPL. We have grounds in almost every town now, but none of them have the capacity of Eden Gardens. We hope fans won’t mind taking turns to watch matches, and maybe some of them can climb the trees outside the ground to get a better view.”

Luang Prabang company Prifira Lofts is one of several which have already bought a franchise, Mekong Marauders, to join Vientiane Viceroys, Namtha Nationals and Vang Viengeance. All the leading Lao players have already been snapped up, and owners and fans alike eagerly await the auction which will bring international stars to appear alongside them.

Disclaimer: Today being April 1, we are obliged to inform you that you have just been pranked. Happy April Fool’s Day. May you enjoy a successful prank or two yourself!

(Michael Jones’s writing focuses on cricket history and statistics, with occasional forays into the contemporary game)