01 February,2010 08:58 AM IST | | Waleed Hussain
Entering its third season, the Indian 'Paisa' League has grabbed headlines across the nation yet again for reasons best known as non-cricketing hullaballoo.
And it seems to have become a trend to court controversy in this multi-billion rupee money spinner. Every season of the IPL has had its share of controversy and, believe it or not, it has actually worked in favour of the event and the franchisees.
Right from selling players like cattle to covering up the cheerleaders, the IPL has hogged front pages much before the first ball was bowled in every season. And season 3 is no different.
The bone of contention this time around was allowing Pakistani players to take the field. The franchisees were willing to splurge the moolah to get their hands on some of the green brigade but the politicos only saw red in that move. The grapevine said that the owners were forced to keep their placards down when the Pak players came up in the auction. The cards stayed down and the players remained in the basket u2014 unsold.
Beating the old neighbouring cow will garner more headlines in India than an Indo-Oz dispute
That wasn't all though. Some voices even asked the Aussies to be left out of the IPL following the series of racial attacks on Indian students Down Under. However, in the wake of the Indo-Pak garma garmi, the racial Aussie charge was conveniently forgotten and dropped from the agenda. You can't grab as many headlines
for an Indo-Oz dispute as for beating the old neighbouring cow. Tried and tested always prevails!
In the first season, all and sundry expressed shock and dismay at the manner in which the players were auctioned and sold like livestock and cattle. The price tags were astronomical and some of the final bids were just plain shocking!
u00a0
And while controversy's favourite child was at play, the 'sabhyata sambhalo andolan' got offended with the 'fine legs' behind the boundary line. Silly point, yelled GenX, LBW said the third umpire. And thus, the long legs were talibanised and so were the hopes of a million voyeurs who flocked the stadiums for a bit of the action.
u00a0IPL season 2 collided with the sacrosanct general elections. No security personnel are available for IPL's expensive 'cows', said the government and top cops. Bigger and costlier holy cows needed the khaki cover u2014 a government was to form after all.
The franchise owners packed their Guccis, Pradas and a few kit bags and headed straight to South Africa. After all, the game must go on!
Let's hope Aal Izz Well in season 3.
