The importance of IPL....

[Borges]

I would rather watch the best players tested by the best players in a game which tests all of their skills not the ones of how far someone can hit the ball on a flat pitch in a team that means nothing to me personally.

I used the word 'tested' and 'tests' lets hope one day they develope a game of cricket that really tests players and all the facets of the game, that is a pitch that starts off helpful for pace flattens out as a good batting wicket and then later starts to wear and takes spin. Just to make it a real test of their skill lets play it over two innings. Wait a minute

My feelings, exactly.

I don't really hate the IPL. It is somewhat like Kerry Packer's WSC. Although a poor man's WSC (a below poverty line WSC given the quality of the cricket) but you have to give full marks to the IPL for playing to packed stadiums and really grabbing many people's attention from other entertainment avenues. Let's face it, cricket is competing with other entertainment avenues and IPL has done a great job of keeping a lot of people interested in the game during off season.

Also it is similar to the WSC in the sense that it has brought more money to the game and player incomes have shot to the sky.

Yes.

This is exactly the way I feel about it. I love test matches but I would never blame the players for choosing the format that means they can make the most money in their careers.

Yes, agree with that too.

Don't think I understand either side here.

There seems to an implicit assumption that playing for the nation is a more honourable or moral thing to do than playing for money that I completely disagree with.

For the record, I do believe that playing for the nation is a more honourable thing to do than playing for money. To clarify things, lest there be any confusion over what I stated: A is more honourable than B does not necessarily imply that B must be dishonourable. Just as saying that X is a better batsman than Y does not necessarily imply that Y must be a poor batsman.

I also believe that there is no question of morality involved in preferring to play for money over playing for one's country. Which I think is shared by almost everyone who posted on this thread; as, AFAIK, no one else had felt the need to bring up the issue of morality earlier.

 

[Jono]

Bun you've really gotta stop using the word nationalism in this context.

 

[Jono]

Yeah you have really proved your case that Dhoni missed the SL test series because of IPL even though the tournament ended almost two months before that and Dhoni played two crap series in between.

Good work with the roll eyes.

Of course he'll never miss a series directly because of the IPL since the IPL will never clash with an Indian international series.

But why did he miss the SL series? Because of fatigue. Had the IPL not existed would he have played for India vs. SL? Yes. Hence playing in the IPL was a cause for him missing the SL series.

Him playing the ODIs was ALSO a cause for him missing the test series. But since that is international cricket, and he was captain, he was hardly ever in a position to not play.

 

[Sanz]

Don't think I understand either side here.

There seems to an implicit assumption that playing for the nation is a more honourable or moral thing to do than playing for money that I completely disagree with.

Pretty much agree with that.

 

[Jono]

Don't think I understand either side here.

There seems to an implicit assumption that playing for the nation is a more honourable or moral thing to do than playing for money that I completely disagree with.

That I agree with.

I think most people here aren't getting on their high horse (some are however), and are just making the point that there does exist players missing international cricket for the IPL, whether directly or indirectly. They're not saying its a crime or the player should be stoned for it.

They're just calling a spade a spade.

If Sehwag misses the WI test series or ODI series to have shoulder surgery, he IS missing international cricket because of the IPL. Just because the IPL doesn't clash with the series doesn't mean it hasn't had an effect as to whether he plays that series or not. That is all people are trying to say.

 

[Sanz]

Good work with the roll eyes.

Of course he'll never miss a series directly because of the IPL since the IPL will never clash with an Indian international series.

But why did he miss the SL series? Because of fatigue. Had the IPL not existed would he have played for India vs. SL? Yes. Hence playing in the IPL was a cause for him missing the SL series.

That's an assumption which is fine, but don't sell it as a fact.

Him playing the ODIs was ALSO a cause for him missing the test series. But since that is international cricket, and he was captain, he was hardly ever in a position to not play.

He missed 2 ODIs in November 2010 ahead of the SA series, he was a captain there as well, players (including captains) do miss games and get rested with or without IPL.

 

[Jono]

Except he was captain of all teams then, and had been captain for ages. He was established.

In 2008 he was only recently captain of the ODI team. I'd mentioned that in an earlier post.

Anyway doesn't seem like we'll ever agree here, even though I'm not even arguing with you really. Just saying that the IPL had an effect.

 

[Blaze 18]

Of course playing for your nation is more honourable than playing for money. Ask the players if they'd rather represent their country for $X or their IPL side for $5X. I'm sure ninety-nine percent of the players would choose the former. Even the much maligned Chris Gayle came out and said that he never planned on playing this IPL; that representing West Indies was his first priority.

No-one is going to say no to easy money, obviously (in Dale Steyn's words, "a paid holiday"), but if push came to shove, I'm fairly certain the majority of players would choose to represent their country.

 

[smash84]

.

No-one is going to say no to easy money, obviously (in Dale Steyn's words, "a paid holiday"), but if push came to shove, I'm fairly certain the majority of players would choose to represent their country.

In this day and age of consumerism and materialism I won't use figures as high as 99%.

 

[Blaze 18]

Okay fine, make it ninety-five percent. The point still stands.

 

[Bun]

In this day and age of consumerism and materialism I won't use figures as high as 99%.

awta. many of us dont hesitate to think twice whn we get a job overseas.

 

[Blaze 18]

That's not the same thing though.

 

[Bun]

Okay fine, make it ninety-five percent. The point still stands.

nope, it will be much much lower. national representation is a goal, but all things being equal, aif presented with these two choices which are mutually exclusive, pretty sure theyd choose which rewards them better.

I cant understand why nationalism should bind players alone, when it is not applicable to people in other sectors. makes no sense.

 

[Bun]

That's not the same thing though.

what I meant is pretty simple. there are monetary and non monetary motivators. and national pride is just one among the non monetary ones. I believe factors like acceptance, fame, etc forms better part of that and in fact are underlying cause to some extent in creating other non monetary factors, though not in case of all.

there are some like tendulkar who seems to place his love for the game above everything.

 

[smash84]

awta. many of us dont hesitate to think twice whn we get a job overseas.

This is a very good point. So many talented Indians and Pakistanis are working abroad not because they won't get a comfortable lifestyle in their home countries but because their lifestyle abroad would be much much better than at home.

That's not the same thing though.

In a way it is. Many cricketers know that their place in the team is not cemented so I don't see why they will not jump at the first opportunity to make a quick buck abroad rather than wait for the selectors to include them in the team. Also the money that they can get abroad (IPL) cannot be made while playing for domestic teams in places such as Pak/WI/SL/Bang/(NZ or SA????)

 

[Blaze 18]

nope, it will be much much lower. national representation is a goal, but all things being equal, aif presented with these two choices which are mutually exclusive, pretty sure theyd choose which rewards them better.

I cant understand why nationalism should bind players alone, when it is not applicable to people in other sectors. makes no sense.

what I meant is pretty simple. there are monetary and non monetary motivators. and national pride is just one among the non monetary ones. I believe factors like acceptance, fame, etc forms better part of that and in fact are underlying cause to some extent in creating other non monetary factors, though not in case of all.

there are some like tendulkar who seems to place his love for the game above everything.

For one, most players are already rich, IPL or no IPL. After a point, money pretty much becomes meaningless. What difference does, say, one extra million dollars make, when you already have one hundred million dollars? Fame is a funny word. Is Kieron Pollard more famous than Rahul Dravid?

I'm not really sure what there is to argue about here. If you really think the two cases are similar, then that's cool; nothing I can do to change that.

 

[Blaze 18]

In a way it is. Many cricketers know that their place in the team is not cemented so I don't see why they will not jump at the first opportunity to make a quick buck abroad rather than wait for the selectors to include them in the team. Also the money that they can get abroad (IPL) cannot be made while playing for domestic teams in places such as Pak/WI/SL/Bang/(NZ or SA????)

I'm sorry, I don't get you. If someone hasn't cemented his place in the side, then he isn't a regular and therefore not choosing IPL over his country. I'm not arguing that players would rather play for Lahore, Delhi or Chennai over their IPL side; I'm arguing that most players would rather play for their country rather than IPL - if it came to that, of course.

 

[GotSpin]

Bun please stop using the word nationalism. You clearly have no idea of what it actually means.

 

[GotSpin]

Don't think I understand either side here.

There seems to an implicit assumption that playing for the nation is a more honourable or moral thing to do than playing for money that I completely disagree with.

A fair enough statement

But I bring you back to my previous point - Why should boards spend millions of dollars on the development of players if IPL is the most important tournament for players? Would that not be a serious problem for Int. Cricket?

 

[smash84]

I'm sorry, I don't get you. If someone hasn't cemented his place in the side, then he isn't a regular and therefore not choosing IPL over his country. I'm not arguing that players would rather play for Lahore, Delhi or Chennai over their IPL side; I'm arguing that most players would rather play for their country rather than IPL - if it came to that, of course.

OTOH if people have their places already cemented in the side then they can take a few weeks off from representing their country and make millions of $$$ in the IPL. They don't really have much to lose.