Much newsprint has already been used in the country over debating the ban on Sri Lankan players in Chennai. Should sport and politics mix? Is the decision prompted by political expediency in view of the forthcoming general elections and where do we finally stop with such decisions? Should the BCCI have moved IPL matches away from Chennai like the way they had done in the case of Hyderabad during the Telengana unrest in 2010? And finally should the franchise owners abide by this decision or should they protest against the ban? Each of the questions are relevant and merit discussion. However, in this piece I'd like to concentrate on what this decision does to the Indian Premier League and how the tournament has lost competitiveness as a result of this imposition from the top.
Frankly, CSK hasn't lost much at all. Nuwan Kulasekara and Akhila Dhananjaya wouldn't even have made MSD's first team for most games. In fact, Kulasekara has been part of the team for a while now and has not played more than 25% of the games. And it is difficult to imagine Dhananjaya making the team ahead of the spin duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Rather when Mumbai play Chennai at the Chepauk sans Malinga it is clearly an unfair contest. Without Malinga to bowl the death overs, MI is half the side. It is like Chennai without MSD or Ashwin.
The same is true for the Pune Warriors and more so in the absence of Michael Clarke. Without the services of Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Matthews, the Warriors will be seriously weakened when they play Chennai in Chennai. The ban will also affect the Daredevils because they'd have to leave the skipper Mahela Jayawardene out. Delhi, who have traded Ross Taylor for Ashish Nehra and are without the services of Pietersen who is out of the IPL due to injury, will be a seriously weakened lot when they step out at the Chepauk. Finally, the Sunrisers without skipper Kumar Sangakkara in the team dressing room will be a ship without its captain.
Now let us conjure up a hypothetical situation. Imagine three teams locked in a tussle for a semi-final spot and one of them facing CSK in Chennai without the key players in their ranks. The other two teams, playing in other parts of the country, are in full strength. Simply put, it is blatantly unfair. This ban has seriously dented the credibility of the IPL and has the potential to seriously impact the final results. Team owners, who have picked particular players for particular roles, will now have to adjust last minute. And some players are simply irreplaceable. On the spin friendly Chepauk pitch Ajantha Mendis could well have been a match winner for Pune. Similarly, Malinga is always a match winner for Mumbai.
At a time when the IPL is in need of innovation and team owners are doing everything to grow the support base, the ban comes as a real problem for most of the teams. Weakened significantly as a result, they will now find it immensely challenging against a strong Chennai outfit, which is easily the most consistent team of the competition.
Finally, one should spare a thought for these players. For no fault of theirs they are being treated as pariahs in one part of India. To even suggest that by forcing Malinga out of the Mumbai-Chennai game we can force the hand of the Sri Lankan establishment is naive. This is not even a symbolic gesture. Rather, it trivialises the real issue, which is one of real serious significance. Each of us condemn genocide and by saying that Sri Lankan players will not play in Chennai we are suggesting that only Tamils can only mourn the loss of their brethren. What about Tamils in Kolkata or Mumbai? What about heir sentiments? How will they feel seeing Malinga play going by the same logic? And what about other Indians who feel equally strongly about genocide?
While politics and sports have always been the two sides of the same coin, playing of the national anthem at the start of play is a clear indication of such mixing; these blanket bans just don't serve any purpose. In this case all it has done is render some of the much anticipated games lopsided.
Frankly, CSK hasn't lost much at all. Nuwan Kulasekara and Akhila Dhananjaya wouldn't even have made MSD's first team for most games. In fact, Kulasekara has been part of the team for a while now and has not played more than 25% of the games. And it is difficult to imagine Dhananjaya making the team ahead of the spin duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Rather when Mumbai play Chennai at the Chepauk sans Malinga it is clearly an unfair contest. Without Malinga to bowl the death overs, MI is half the side. It is like Chennai without MSD or Ashwin.
The same is true for the Pune Warriors and more so in the absence of Michael Clarke. Without the services of Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Matthews, the Warriors will be seriously weakened when they play Chennai in Chennai. The ban will also affect the Daredevils because they'd have to leave the skipper Mahela Jayawardene out. Delhi, who have traded Ross Taylor for Ashish Nehra and are without the services of Pietersen who is out of the IPL due to injury, will be a seriously weakened lot when they step out at the Chepauk. Finally, the Sunrisers without skipper Kumar Sangakkara in the team dressing room will be a ship without its captain.
Now let us conjure up a hypothetical situation. Imagine three teams locked in a tussle for a semi-final spot and one of them facing CSK in Chennai without the key players in their ranks. The other two teams, playing in other parts of the country, are in full strength. Simply put, it is blatantly unfair. This ban has seriously dented the credibility of the IPL and has the potential to seriously impact the final results. Team owners, who have picked particular players for particular roles, will now have to adjust last minute. And some players are simply irreplaceable. On the spin friendly Chepauk pitch Ajantha Mendis could well have been a match winner for Pune. Similarly, Malinga is always a match winner for Mumbai.
At a time when the IPL is in need of innovation and team owners are doing everything to grow the support base, the ban comes as a real problem for most of the teams. Weakened significantly as a result, they will now find it immensely challenging against a strong Chennai outfit, which is easily the most consistent team of the competition.
Finally, one should spare a thought for these players. For no fault of theirs they are being treated as pariahs in one part of India. To even suggest that by forcing Malinga out of the Mumbai-Chennai game we can force the hand of the Sri Lankan establishment is naive. This is not even a symbolic gesture. Rather, it trivialises the real issue, which is one of real serious significance. Each of us condemn genocide and by saying that Sri Lankan players will not play in Chennai we are suggesting that only Tamils can only mourn the loss of their brethren. What about Tamils in Kolkata or Mumbai? What about heir sentiments? How will they feel seeing Malinga play going by the same logic? And what about other Indians who feel equally strongly about genocide?
While politics and sports have always been the two sides of the same coin, playing of the national anthem at the start of play is a clear indication of such mixing; these blanket bans just don't serve any purpose. In this case all it has done is render some of the much anticipated games lopsided.
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