With every passing day, we are getting closer to the 2019 Cricket World Cup. It is the biggest extravaganza in the sport of cricket. Players, pundits, and fans are eagerly waiting for the World Cup as it is like festive time in the world of cricket.
Cricketers dream to represent their respective countries in the World Cup as it’s the biggest stage possible in cricket. It makes heroes and villains for a lifetime. It takes place every four years and continues for a month and a half. When the World Cup is on, it is the hottest and the most talked about thing in every nook and corner of the cricket playing countries.
And now we are just a few months away from the mega event, which will color the whole of England in cricket’s flavor. The World Cup will commence from May 30 and culminate on July 14.
But when will the 12th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) commence? IPL will be held from March 29 to May 19, next year.
This will be the first time since the inception of IPL when the cash-rich league would precede the Cricket World Cup. And it presents an alarming signal for the BCCI. In fact, there is hardly a 10-day gap between both the illustrious events. And that doesn’t bode well for the IPL.
Most of the leading teams have already started gearing up for the World Cup. IPL is arguably, the biggest T20 league in the world. So, superstars from each nation come and participate in it. But that might not be the case in IPL 2019 as most of the cricket boards would be wary of sending their players to the IPL given it’s demanding nature.
As IPL is just preceding the World Cup, it puts players to great injury risks. Just imagine what if someone like Jos Buttler or Kane Williamson or Faf du Plessis gets injured in a club-level tournament like IPL, and that makes him miss the World Cup, for which players wait for four years? It would be unacceptable for players and more importantly, the boards wouldn’t want to take even a minimal level of risk.
IPL’s hectic scheduling does no good to the players. The tournament goes on in full swing for six weeks, which is even bigger duration than ICC events like World T20 and Champions Trophy, and at par with the World Cup. Matches take place every two to three days apart. Games finish around midnight and pressure of early morning flights and training on the very next day is always running high on the minds of the players. It is highly challenging and apart from physical risks, it takes a toll mentally as well, which isn’t ideal before a big event like the World Cup.
Even BCCI might rest key Indian players keeping in mind the World Cup. But what would happen to the league if countries don’t quite send their “main” men? Simply, IPL won’t garner much of a buzz.
Another thing that puts IPL into a jeopardy is the next year’s general elections in India due to which IPL would take place in either UAE or South Africa. Now, IPL has taken place in these countries quite successfully in the past. But in the absence of star players, will it draw as bigger crowds? After all, it’s IPL’s ability to bring the whole galaxy of stars under one roof, which makes it so special. But in 2019, it’s highly unlikely to happen.
Also the fact that when the World Cup is about to take place, nothing other than the “World Cup” occupies people’s mind. Nothing can beat the context that surrounds the World Cup, especially a domestic tournament (say IPL). Around the IPL time, next year, the build-up to the World Cup will be at its peak. There will be hustle and bustle regarding cricket’s most anticipated event. And that also spells doom for the 12th edition of the IPL.
All in all, everything points out to only one thing and that is toward the high possibility of IPL turning into a failure in 2019.