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Is Anyone Still Watching The IPL?

What are we up to now? IPL5? IPL6? I've lost count and I've lost interest. Part of it could be attributed to the lack of Lalit Modi. Part of it could be attributed to the absence of the FakeIPLPlayer. Mostly, in a sign of how the IPL has turned from cricket into packaged entertainment with little allegiance, my lack of interest can be attributed to the lack of TV coverage here in Australia. Lalit Modi created the IPL for TV. From the gaudy opening and closing ceremonies to the strategic timeouts. From the fat pay cheques to the televised player auctions. The IPL was an 'As Seen on TV' product. So what happens when the TV doesn't carry it any longer? The product fails. At least it has in Australia. The ratings drop suffered by last season's IPL was easily blamed on a nation still hungover from winning the World Cup. Most things in Indian cricket are attributed by those in power to 'minor blips' or 'something not so important' (anyone remember Team India's performances in England and Australia recently?). The real reason for a fall in TV ratings, anywhere in the world, is the fact that cricket administrators, the world over, don't actually care about crowds and audiences. They'll happily take in sponsorship money from betting sites, but won't actually take notice of how such sites treat their customers to ensure they keep coming back. It's high time administrators started paying attention to us, the fan that deserves a whole lot more love than we're currently getting.

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