Indian Premier League - IPL / Frank Gregan / 15 March 2010 /

The IPL has overcome the doubters to revolutionise one day cricket but it risks sliding into obscurity if players fail to take it seriously, says Frank Gregan.

When the IPL started it was referred to as a Mickey Mouse competition by the cricket puritans. These days Mickey Mouse wouldn't get a seat in the 'C' celebrity enclosure such is the impact that the tournament has had throughout India.

The first signs that this tournament might not live up to expectations came during the opening ceremony. It was billed as Bollywood meets Hollywood but the Western World's contribution to the fun was Lionel Ritchie banging out 'Dancing on the Ceiling' accompanied by a group of Gordon Ramsey dress - a -likes! It looked like a musical version of Masterchef!

Then there were the cheerleaders. Much maligned when they first appeared on the scene (just not cricket old boy), they are now very much a part of the IPL. Again, for a tournament that's paying top dollar it looked like the CPO (Cheerleader Procurement Officer) had been short changed. The ladies didn't look like they had been whisked away from the NFL, they looked like they'd been borrowed from the perfume counter at Debenhams!

These are just the trimmings of course, but collectively it has a big impact. It's the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, the bacon and chipolatas but the turkeys are the players and with big money being splashed out it is right and proper to expect fresh, farm reared turkeys, not a frozen turkey roll! The world's finest ought to be out there in the middle, for the whole of the tournament, doing their stuff.

That's not the case. The IPL's problem's began when all of the franchises opted not to bid for Pakistani players in the January auction. Relations between India and Pakistan are fraught but the common ground is both nation's love of cricket. It was a clear snub which opened old wounds.

The next issue was player availability. The lack of the real top notch quality was evident on the opening day. The main event offered a chance to see two of the game's elder statesmen in action, honorary Lancastrian Sourav Ganguly and the big hitting Aussie Adam Gilchrist. A bit of a damper was put on procedings when it emerged that Gilchrist had done no preparation at all for the tournament. He was going to try and wing it - get his eye back in out in the middle!

There is arrogance (which Gilchrist very rarely displays) and there is contempt. Take your pick but it looks as if Gilchrist isn't taking the tournament very seriously despite having to order a cargo plane to transport his earnings back to Australia! For the money that is on offer punters should be being treated to Ricky Ponting at the top of his game, not Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and Matthew Hayden at the bottom of theirs!

Of course, there is international cricket going on at the same time as the IPL but a window needs to be found and priority must be given to what is becoming a very special tournament. Otherwise the IPL may well end up the equivalent of Football's 'Masters,' players long past their prime showing that they still have the technique but not the physique with which to execute it.

The IPL is a great betting event. My tip for this year are the under achieving Mumbai Indians. They've yet to make the cut but this year may just belong to the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar. They are currently [5.9] to back. Let's hope they fulfill their potential and the tournament kicks on and lives up to the expectation.

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