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5 Possible Add-Ons To The Indian Premier League!

Another fresh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is underway and like always it has quietly occupied the viewership space. The format and its timing clicks, so does quality of cricket and the concoction keeps onlookers engaged through the course of the tournament. The audience is always looking forward to the innovation in terms of organization, broadcast & sponsor features, which keeps respective entities busy with R&D. Here are 5 things which the IPL can live with and probably help it grow further!

1. Home-away jerseys
A common sight with popular leagues in other sports is the difference in colour suits of teams while playing at home and away. Despite the evolution of colour in cricket (both in terms of formats and outlook), the jerseys (international or domestic) have remained a largely trivial facet. Teams in the IPL too have experimented with base colours and designs, but none seem to have fulfilled the wish-lists. Although certain teams have sported more than one jersey in a given season, it has largely to do with one-off occasions. With all the pomp and fanfare associated with the IPL, designers can be encouraged to pick colours & create two different suits for each side, giving the home-away matches a visual context as well.

2. Mid-tournament transfers
Pre-tournament player auctions/transfers seek significant attention at every cycle of such an event. With the cap on the number of international players in the playing XI and the quantum of the squads, many decent players end up warming the bench for most parts of a season. Also, some fringe Indian international players play lesser matches than they deserve to. On many occasions certain teams on a losing spree hope to turn the fortunes around through a change in personnel. A constructive confluence of the two ends could be met by organizing a window for player transfers (on loan/short term basis) in between an ongoing season. This would empower teams with weak form and keep the league competitive throughout its course.

3. More than 1 home venue
Likes of Ranchi, Bhubhaneshwar, Dharmasala, Pune have enacted the role of home venues for a couple of IPL sides. With newer stadiums equipped with the state-of-art facilities, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for the IPL to have more than one home ground (atleast 2 matches) for every IPL side. Recent past has seen smaller towns embracing mainstream cricket with open arms and decentralizing the carnival would only make it accessible to larger audience much more frequently.

4. Technical innovations
Being a domestic tournament by definition liberates the league to try out a few innovations. The dual break in 20 overs has been a pioneering and probably an exclusive system practiced during the IPL. On similar lines, the limits of research can be expanded to more technical topics and can be trialed more vigorously. For example, the role of the TV umpire can be elaborated by providing him real-time production feed to monitor no-balls for every delivery; the extent of a T20 game shouldn’t make that a cumbersome exercise.

5. Exhibition matches
The IPL receives attention from across the globe and would be popular initiative to organize exhibition matches outside India once in a year. This would aid the outreach of the league and the sport indirectly. The logistics would be a concern to execute such a thing, but a one-off contest shouldn’t be economically unviable. On similar lines to the Irani trophy, a post-tournament match between the champion side and an all-stars team could be conducted as an annual feature. The proceeds from such a contest can be passed on for charitable purposes.

In years down the line, the creators and administrators of the IPL would be happier if it would be looked upon as something which took the game forward rather than being something which the game could have done without. The IPL is in its settling phase and presents the opportunity to look forward to in terms of outreach and branding. It would be good if the vibrancy exuded by the brand is emulated in the intricacies of the league as well!

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