Maternity leave is great. I mean, it’s brutal at the start. And slightly less brutal but still exhausting that bit further in. But babies love a bit of TV and since I refuse to welcome Peppa Pig or other such nonsense into my life, the saving grace for Jos and me in the afternoons has been the IPL.
1. Having IPL broadcast on BTSport in the UK makes it immensely more appealing than when it was on ITV4. Less ‘Z-list reality TV’ and more ‘real sport, you’re allowed to watch it’.
2. Matches are vastly more interesting when a number of England players are involved. Bonus for pantomime-villain-Aussies. Thus, Rajastan Royals (Buttler, Stokes, Archer, pantomime-villain-Aussie-Smith) vs Hyderabad Sunrisers (Bairstow, pantomime-villain-Aussie-Warner) is better than Mumbai Indians (none) vs Delhi Capitals (none).
3. Ambuja Cement is no longer the preeminent cement company in India, as it was in 2006 when it sponsored every game at every ground. Other cement companies, such as Duraguard, are now in contention.
4. The Indian spectating public is more than willing to don appropriately-coloured free t-shirts to create a visual spectacle of support for their team (Mumbai Indians, I’m looking at you, here).
5. The Indian spectating public is more than willing to show off that they have won a ticket to the ‘VIP’ zone. This zone consists of a male competition winner (in all the examples I have seen) grinning wildly and pointing at his new ‘Hotstar ‘VIP’ t-shirt. His perception of a VIP experience and mine differ, clearly. I would like to state that if I am ever offered a VIP experience at the cricket, I shall decline any exhortation to wear a branded t-shirt and parade it on TV.
6. The IPL policy on players not commenting on moments of controversy seems less like censorship and more like positive PR, avoiding the spiral of negativity prevalent in UK sports (and non-sports news) coverage. Case in point: I watched most of the Ashwin vs Buttler Mankad match but missed the actual run out. Until I went on Twitter later that night, I had no idea what had occurred, because it wasn’t given any airtime. The producers know that they are running a show that required positive, positive, positive spin.
7. Dhoni should have been punished more harshly for entering the field of play to protest an umpire’s decision. But I missed that bit, so I can’t say anything more on the matter.
8. IPL scheduling fits into my life really nicely for the tricky afternoon session with Baby Jos. However, we miss out on most of the exciting second innings and finishes due to bath and bedtime. This means I have sat through hours of play but missed the Sam Curran hattrick; the Jos Buttler mankad; Buttler’s recent 89 off 40-odd balls; Dhoni wandering on to complain; every single close finish this series of IPL has seen. The last time I made it down from bedtime in time to catch the end of a match, Delhi Capitals required 50 off the last over. Not particularly enticing.
9. It is impossible for the ECB to recreate the success of the IPL in this country. The reasons are myriad and probably blindingly obvious to anyone reading (let’s be honest, I’m saving them for another blog!).
10. I really need to check the country fixtures to see what I can get to for the rest of my maternity leave, so that I can experience some super-pure cricket. One man and his dog, plus me and my baby. Cricket at its finest!
Tractor