Harsh reality of playing to empty galleries

It stands suspended till April 15 and may not even come back in its original form as team owners have suggested that the matches could be played behind closed doors.

BCCI had also called off two remaining One-Day international matches to be played in the recently held India-South Africa series. And across the world, many tournaments, including football matches, have been suspended.

A few weeks ago, two UEFA Champions League matches were played in front of empty stands as the football authorities had cancelled the sale of tickets well ahead of the games.

In tennis, many tournaments were called off or postponed to later dates. But will this ‘closed door’ model work for IPL? Unlike other competitions and leagues, IPL was originally conceived as a form of entertainment. In 2008, when the league was launched, the promoters planned to telecast it via a movie channel, and not even a sports channel.

It was only several years later, after the IPL became a showcase for several young cricketing talents, that the league gained respect among hardcore sports buffs as well.

Today, everything from the whistle-podu antics of die-hard fans to the vuvuzelas, cheerleaders, larger-than-life fans and a huge number of sponsors, contribute to making IPL the ultimate spectator sport.

In India, especially when it comes to cricket, take away the spectators from the stadium, and the event is deemed a failure, no matter how well it is protected by sponsorship.

The IPL governing council, which met last Saturday, discussed the logistics of conducting the matches sometime in April, when it will possibly be held at locked stadium.

The franchises had said they were open to playing behind closed doors, provided their overseas players make it to the games. For a series like IPL, despite the demand for tickets, the big bucks still come from sponsors, telecast rights and ad revenue.

But will the sponsors put their money into a match where every four and six is not met with resounding cheer?

Under these circumstances, considering the magnitude of this global pandemic, and India’s undying cricket craze, it would seem like even a closed-door match is better than no match at all.