Published: Jul 14, 2015, 03:15 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 14, 2015, 03:15 PM (IST)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been suspended from Indian Premier League (IPL) for the upcoming two seasons. We are still not aware of how this will impact IPL: Will IPL go ahead with six teams and CSK and RR players put on auction? Will there be new teams? Whatever happens, there will be five changes we will see in IPL, in all probability.
1. No more India-bashing by men in yellow: Indian bowlers being hit around the park by batsmen in yellow brings back nightmarish memories of Australians hammering Indians in the 1990s and 2000s. The yellow jersey has traumatised many an Indian bowler. Time for a reversal, maybe?
2. More money, less strategising: RR have traditionally maintained a reputation of getting the most of a low budget. They have spent more time and effort in developing strategies and unearthing obscure talents like Kamran Khan and Pravin Tambe instead of spending on big names. If they go out of the equation, IPL will become more of glitz and less of, well, who cares?
3. Relief for IT professionals: When the information technology boomed in India in late 1990s, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) were one of the largest recruiters in the country. The sight of the TCS logo on the RR helmets had probably traumatised Indian IT professionals: work seemed to follow them even at home. They can now breathe a sigh of relief.
4. IPL jingles will become comprehensible: Be honest (for Indians who do not know Tamil): you have tried to sing the CSK song, but could not make heads or tails out of it, and have simply danced to the tune. The best you could do was ‘whistle podu’. Welcome to the world of comprehensible jingles.
5. Ravi Shastri will sweat less: Remember how a perpetually sweating Ravi Shastri (for nobody else got a chance) hollered over the microphone when matches were hosted at The Chepauk? Well, if IPL finds a new home in a cooler city, the weather will be more tolerable, which means the most recognisable voice in Indian cricket can give it the full throttle. Not that it mattered…
