IPL — A Dilemma
During April-May of Indian summer, the craze of mango is usually matched by the craze for the festival of cricket known as the Indian Premier League, the IPL. People split their national cricketing allegiance into city-based or favourite-players based factions. A rivalry is born or continued every year among friends, colleagues or acquaintances. They all, at least, have one common topic to discuss i.e., the IPL. Even the harshest critics cannot stay away from the news of the IPL.
However, the 2021 Indian summer is different. This time not only the craze of mangoes is subdued but the craze of IPL is also divided. IPL 2021 is held behind closed doors i.e, with no spectators. The reason is not the renovations of stands or the stadium but to save the cricket-frenzy public from the pandemic of Covid-19.
The world witnessed the wrath of Covid-19 in the year 2020. Lockdowns, migrants moving back to their native place, the economy being tumbled, then came the hope, vaccine breakthrough and a mini-resurgence, 2020 was, without a shadow of a doubt, a wild year. By the turn of the year, everyone wished, prayed and hoped for life to return to normalcy.
There was hope at the beginning of the year, maybe things are about to get normal, maybe we would be returning to the normal day-to-day routine, maybe weekends may become a thing again. However, the pandemic came back and it came back devastatingly hard; like a cornered tiger. Especially in our country, where the positivity rate, death toll and recovery rate are all moving in an undesirable direction.
Nowadays, we are daily witnessing near and dear ones suffering directly or indirectly from the Covid crisis. Every day on our WhatsApp, people are requesting to help them arrange for a bed or medicine or an oxygen cylinder. Sometimes it is also with a condolence message for a departed soul. These are the people that we have interacted with at some point of time in our lives. On Twitter, there are thousands of requests from strangers asking for help. Just imagine the situation of a person not having access to such technology and pleading for help in the village or remote areas where he/she is living.
Therefore, there arose a question for the self-conscience should IPL 2021 happen or should it be halted? As every coin has two aspects, this too has its dual arguments. BCCI and IPL governing body have self-proclaimed that their bio-bubble is one of the safest bio-bubble and they are adhering to it very strictly. No fans in the stadium or the vicinity of the players or staff of the team.
Players were required to be quarantined before the start of the season to join their team, they were also subjected to regular testing. No less than 12 bubbles were being created for players, staff, crew, commentators. The guidelines were like the commandments for everyone to follow and report to the Chief Medical Officer in case of any shortcomings. No public, in general, was allowed to gather as the IPL parks were also discontinued. Further, in such grim times, many believed IPL offered a three and a half-hour distraction from the daily news of the second wave and its horrendous impact.
On the contrary handful of players and umpires have already left the IPL mid-season citing personal reasons. One player openly questioned the intent of the organisers that how such an event can be allowed when people are suffering daily. The player even went on and questioned how the organisers/ franchise can spend so much money at times when a middle-class family is finding it difficult to arrange for a bed for their loved ones.
Many suggestions have been posted/ discussed, one of them being suspending the IPL or taking IPL out of the country just like the 2020 edition (yes, IPL happened in 2020 too). Some are suggesting to boycott the same. Honestly, viewing an IPL match is a personal choice, a personal choice is always generated by your core principle values. You have full right to ignore the games and you have equal rights to follow IPL like any other year.
There cannot be a right or a wrong answer in this regard. IPL just like any other venture is a business. The organisers are no philanthropist and are looking to earn as much as they can with the broadcasting and advertisement revenues. It is up to the organisers/ franchises and even players to think about it and make a decision, whether they want to help the nation out or carry on like nothing is happening.
There are people who are directly affected by Covid and there are people who are dealing with the mental stress of it. Seeing your loved one suffer is always painful, the world comes crashing down and at such times we often look for a shoulder to rely on, a person to talk to and someone to look up to. For those IPL may not come as a relief but would strengthen the thought that this is a rich people’s world and we are just the pawns in it.
PS: Please wear masks!!
