Some thoughts on Indian Premier League...

I have watched a few of the matches of IPL. And frankly, I am bored to death. I guess one lesson that can be learned is this: its not the quantity of 6s and 4s that make a match exciting. Its the cliffhanger match results and the strategies of teams involved that make them memorable.

Now that 6s and 4s have lost their appeal that used to come from their rarity, the spectacle of blonde cheerleaders among the sea of dhoti clad brown faces seems odd. I mean, their act of standing up after each 4 and 6 (which happens in every over) and doing the same routine seems so mechanical. Many of them dont even smile anymore (signs of being groped and harassed by bhindis?). Sure indians are adept at acting whiter than whites, but the dance routines of these blonde cheerleaders do not jive with the local culture. How about doing some bhangRa or other local dance moves that a pan chewing, lungi wearing, heeng smelling Ramkrishnaswamidas can relate to?

Regarding cheerleaders, some very obvious question comes to mind: Why did IPL go out of the way to recruit white cheerleaders? I mean, India is a country that produces 1 gazillion films every year full of senseless dancing. And unlike Pakistan, there is no stigma attached to girls publicly dancing in an enlightened India. Could IPL not get a few dozen injun girls from this nation of hijRas?

Lastly, I think some serious re-engineering of 20/20 will have to be done to make it a viable format. One thing that makes cricket a better game than baseball is the depth of on-field strategy involved in running the game. With 20/20, it has all come down to blind tullays.