Is this ongoing IPL during the raging pandemic a mistake or a saviour?

By K.R. Nayar

With cricketers pulling out of the ongoing IPL, a debate has ensued on whether the event should have been postponed or held in the UAE. There have been numerous opinions being given, and it is worthwhile looking into them. To add fuel to this debate is the decision by an Indian daily, The Indian Express, on April 25 to stop reporting on the IPL matches.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Soon after Delhi Capitals' Ravichandran Ashwin decided to leave the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be with his family amidst the ongoing raging coronavirus pandemic, I have been receiving a number of messages from cricket loving friends. When Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa, and Rajasthan Royals’ Andrew Tye too flew back to Australia, debate on this topic heated up in my WhatsApp groups. 

While many of them have been watching this IPL every day since it has been going on,  a few were of the opinion that this tournament should not have been held during such a challenging period when literally the whole country has been reeling under the second wave of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Kane Richardson 

A few of them hit hard on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) saying better sense should have prevailed while taking a decision on this IPL. Someone even remarked: “This rich cricket board decides and executes irrespective of what the public opinion is.”  There were others, especially cricket fans in the UAE, who wondered whether it would have been better to hold this IPL edition too in the UAE like it was done the last time. However, there were many who did not favour the UAE claiming weather conditions would get hotter by the day and it would get difficult to play. But then there was a counter to that too. “ IPL is a tournament that every cricketer around the world loves to play, and players would have no qualms managing the heat when they think of the big money they would receive by playing in it.”

There was also an interesting debate on Ashwin's decision to leave the IPL. Another fan then asked, “Are you sure Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina will stay on or go back home like he did last year?.”
  
As this debate on the rights and wrongs of the IPL continued, some went back to the topic of whether the IPL should have been held at all. There were some who believed that the IPL could have contributed to at least fewer people contracting the virus. They claimed that cricket fans would prefer to watch the IPL matches rather than go out, and this would have reduced the spread of the virus.

Andrew Tye

Amidst all this emerged the news that an Indian daily, The Indian Express, has boycotted reporting of IPL matches protesting against the event being held at the time when the country is going through such a crisis. This news also stirred up a debate. A few journalists felt that except for reducing the workload on a few journalists, this step would have no impact. At a time when the print media is already in trouble and journalists are being made redundant, less work could lead to further retrenchment. According to them, when a popular event is being held, it is the duty of the newspaper to report it. “Will they stop reporting on pregnancies of celebrities during such a crisis,” asked an agitated cricket fan. “This attempt by the newspaper will only hit its helpless subscribers,’’ said another. However, those who are not for sports, especially cricket, would like to pat the back of the editor who took the decision to ban IPL coverage. 

This IPL discussion went on for so long that not a word was discussed about the oncoming match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. So over to Ahmedabad.