DLF Indian Premier League

Something doesn’t quite smell like team spirit here: From Mohali, home to a team that has played two games and lost two so far, comes a bizarre tale of discrimination within the ranks that might not help their cause.

According to sources, a bunch of players in the Mohali squad, mostly juniors and not among those picked for the first couple of games, were moved out of the posh Taj hotel and into the less fancy Maya Palace some days ago.

Why? Well, there are two versions. One says it was to save escalating costs in any way possible (which doesn’t make sense given the huge monies spent so far). The second comes from a team official, who said it was only for a day, to accommodate the Mohali-team promoters and guests at the Taj on the day Mohali played Chennai. A bunch of players in the Mohali squad, mostly juniors and not among those picked for the first couple of games, were moved out of the posh Taj hotel and into the less fancy Maya Palace some days ago.

Team manager Sachin Bajaj maintained that all the players were always at the Taj, but the Press contacted the Maya Palace and learnt that at least five or six players (who were named to us) have been at the Maya Palace for the last few days. Players confirmed this.

It is believed that after some protests and a rethink on the part of the team management, the other players will be moved back to the Taj, but this part is as yet officially unconfirmed. “We were moved out but I think we’ll be moved back,” a player told Press, refusing to say more for fear of getting into trouble.

Whatever the reason, this ‘discrimination’ isn’t restricted to Mohali alone. In a couple of high-profile teams, the higher profile players have single room while lesser known players have been asked to share. Elsewhere, some players are flying economy while others get business class tickets.

Logically, this is bound to cause resentment at what could be viewed as second-class treatment for some and, in any case, is alien to the concept of “team”.

When a player plays for India, the BCCI treats him the same way — as an India player, irrespective of whether he is a Tendulkar, (who’s been around 20 years) or a rookie Piyush Chawla. He gets the same air-ticket (business class), the same room (a single), the same DA and the same official perks.

When players play for their Ranji team, their state associations treat them the same way. They travel together (unless it’s at their own expense) and invariably share rooms, with only the captain being entitled to single accommodation and often choosing not to take it.

This is the inaugural IPL event and India’s first exposure to a private franchise. It will set a precedent for how things happen in future. Team bonding - generally speaking too, but definitely in units already made up of a hodge-podge of people from different countries, cultures and credos — is going to be vital for a team to succeed. Discrimination of any sort, for any reason, will not help anyone’s cause.

The cricket has not remained just a sport; overcoming its genre as traditional physical workout, it has crossed all its definitions and now this sport is not less than billion dollars stuff! People from all across the world go crazy for cricket and it is no more surprise that in coming days, it would hit the top rank in chart among other sports.

According to an agreement, Kingfisher Airlines would receive the branding on Umpires’ Uniform that includes the shirts and hats during the entire battle. The DLF Indian Premier League has already announced Kingfisher Airlines as official sponsor for Umpire and also Third Umpire decisions for all 59 action-packed matches. The deal was fixed with the stunning figure of the sum of 1.6 bn INR for a five year period.

“I am very pleased to have the country’s premier 5-star airline Kingfisher join us as the Umpire Partner in an exclusive 5 yr deal. Kingfisher Airlines has a long association with a variety of sports at both; the domestic and international level including Tennis, Formula 1, Polo and now Cricket. Their decision bears testimony to the fact that the DLF Indian Premier League is here to stay and is set to carve out a distinct niche for itself in the international cricket calendar”, said Mr. Latlit Modi, the Chairperson and Commissioner of DLF Indian Premier League.

On the other hand, Mr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman & CEO, Kingfisher Airlines added that they are delighted to extend their relationship with the DLF IPL with the airlines that come as an official Umpire Partner. He further added that a 5 yr association with DLF IPL would be a kind of testimonial for the airlines and they are committed to build the airline as a brand that should be exclusively associated with the sports. According to him, DLF IPL is very groundbreaking concept and the Twenty20 format would be the responsible for the skyrocketing popularity of the game in coming years. As a part of sponsorship, the airlines would present umpires in a total new avatar with modern touch though holding back their traditional and critical role in cricket.

With a grand total of 59 astounding action-packed stuff with 177 hours of the ‘live’ family entertainment will rock the world of the sports. Though it solely belongs to India, the event is going to be viewed by hundreds of thousands of international audience with full zeal and enthusiasms. All the matches would be during late afternoon and evening to co-occur with prime time of television and providing a commodious time for the stadium audience since the events are held in summer. DLF IPL would provide a non-stop entertainment over 44 days in eight Indian happening cities.