Cricket’s battle not to be overshadowed by the IPL

On April 25, the Indian Premier League will be halfway through its 19th edition. Coverage of it dominates the Indian-owned and based cricket media.

Last week, Harsha Bhogle, one of its long-serving commentators and journalists, declared that the IPL “has to be one of the greatest sporting phenomena in the world at the moment.” This opinion attracted a swath of alternative views. These centered on the IPL being attractive only to Indians, unlike the English Premier League, which has a global following; that it goes on for too long, something that is being reflected in less-than-full stadiums; and that it has become ostentatiously vulgar in its commercialization.

What is not in doubt is the IPL’s catalytic effect on the economics of cricket and the impetus given to its globalization. Concurrent with the IPL, there is a plethora of international and professional cricket events being played by both men and women.

The Pakistan Super League, which is heading toward the final stages, has had its share of incidents. In the opening match, the white ball turned pink. The kit of the Hyderabad Kingsmen is maroon. Its players rubbed the ball on their trousers before returning it to the bowler. In a short while, dye from the kit transferred to the ball. Social media was not slow to latch on to this embarrassment. There has also been an umpire’s ruling in the final over of one match that the ball’s condition had been deliberately altered by the fielding side. A five-run penalty was imposed that affected the outcome of the match, adversely for the fielding side.

In Nepal, the men’s team is hosting the UAE in two T20I matches, ahead of an ODI tri-series between these two countries and Oman. Originally, this was due to be played