The IPL has taken the whole of the cricketing world by storm. By God, everyone in India talks about it,watches it,loves it,and not to mention, of course, follows it. But the success of the IPL has also depended on one main factor-the way the matches have gone so far.
If you've been in the world for a while now, you surely must be knowing about the World Wrestling Federation (WWE). The main attraction in the WWE is it's storyline- the wrestling is below par at best, but it's the story that attracts millions of people in the World to watch it. And all the matches are 'fixed' before they are fought, to keep the continuum of the story.
The IPL has managed this huge interest in a similar way.
Read further, and I will explain how the 'pre-decided matches' theory makes sense. I will post about one team at a time, with reasons for my theory in regard to each team.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Who would have thought that bottom platers Rajasthan would be leading the league, demonstrating 'power' that no other team has? The cheapest team, the one with no 'superstars'; Yesteryears great Shane Warne, somewhat talented Graeme Smith (who hasn't really fired) and the ever-injured Shane Watson-these guys have blasted the likes of..well everyone in the IPL.
It is the sense of irony it creates. Viewers want to see something out of the ordinary- they don't want to see Gilchrist coming and tearing apart bowlers, because that's what has been happening for the past 10 years. The viewers need to see something new. And the team that was slated to be the worst in the league is now the best. What an irony. It's like a tri-Series between Australia,South Africa and Bangladesh, with Bangladesh emerging as the winners.
Hurray, Lalit Modi. Great success. People are watching all the Jaipur matches now. TRP ratings are soaring for a Jaipur match that no one initially would have liked to watch.
It isn't a surprise that Mr.Modi himself hails from Jaipur too. You can see him dancing away to every Jaipur win. If the boss man supports you, you can be sure that you'll be going the distance.
Look at some of the wins that Jaipur has had. They've literally decimated the opponents, at times making the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Adam Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly look clueless against bowling which at best has Sohail Tanvir as a strike bowler. Even Munaf Patel is taking wickets and giving away less runs. Unknown Yusuf Pathan has almost made a case for MVP, while Shane Watson has already made one, and is likely to go win it.
Can all this be attributed to the captaincy of Shane Warne? Hey, if he really was such a great captain, he would've led the Australian team- No matter what his SMSes say of him, or some questionable videos. The Australians are champions at scrutinizing a player for his attributes and weaknesses, and if Shane Warne could actually produce this magnificent feat, he would've been given his chance. But no,Nada. Never happened.
It wouldn't surprise me if Jaipur (or Mumbai) goes on to win the IPL..After all, Jaipur has been winning all its 94892 matches so far, barring two- One against the Delhi Daredevils (which was most likely done to provide realism) and one against Mumbai Indians. Oh, did I mention that the Mumbai team was the most expensive, had Sachin and was having a losing run? Oh yes, that really mattered I guess. The fact that the Mumbai Indians have now won 5 in a row and are in the Semi-Final run (my,that was really a quick turnaround!) really strengthens my theories.
No matter what, people are now watching every Jaipur match with a hope that their team beats Jaipur. Lots of excitement.
All I can say to sum it up is that Lalit Modi has gotten it right. What a shrewd businessman he is. But whatever you say, we're all enjoying the IPL,fixed or not fixed.
