Cricket's rulers must embrace the IPL or crush it - but NEVER ignore it

Did you feel the same way about World Series Cricket 30 years ago? Do you think day-night cricket diluted the game? Did Kerry Packer destroy cricket? Jog your memory back 30 years ago, when pyjama cricket took off in Australia.

When people play county cricket, which has a longer season, does anybody complain about a player choosing the highest bidding team? Expand your mind a bit more, and think about the history and future of the game. It'll bring more coherence in your articles.

If you'd read more about the IPL, you would have realised that each time will involve a lot of local (and under 22) players playing each game. Have you considered the benefits to the Indian domestic cricket standards? Imagine the experience for an 18 yr old fringe player playing along Gayle, Lee and Kallis. IPL is paying huge sums to the international stars, but a lot of the younger and fringe players stand to gain a lot. Not to mention the stadia, which normally host a single ODI or test in a year. They'll hopefully be packed for a period of 2 months. 20-20 is at least fun for the spectators. Compare that to the empty stadia in your own CB series, a futile series which has dominated the international calendar in a more harmful manner for almost 30 years.

I hated World Series Cricket and still loathe the trio-series one-dayers that we suffer every year. Packer changed cricket for the better, but not all change is going to be good. I'm not saying the IPL won't be good, just that we should be cautious. I'm not convinced that having youngsters playing alongside superstars is necessarily going to be all that beneficial as Twenty20 is so different to the other forms of the game. As or your final point, the IPL may well be very beneficial for Indian cricket but don't make the same mistake as the BCCI and think that it is necessaril the same as being good for world cricket. I'll be watching the games and think that if it's managed correctly it'll be terrific, but when players refuse to go on tours to play in the IPL instead it's a problem. Cheers.

Just looking at the prices fetched, the situation with class like Kallis fetching less than SHOW ('Showni' and 'big-screen-Symonds') re-confirms the focus of SALES via huge viewership rather than TRUE quality cricket. The WWF Smackdown of cricket has arrived ! Disappointing for purists and those able to discern quality from marketing.

First time that I've ever agreed with ou Greg!! Had to happen sooner or later. Cheers.

I'm a purist as well when it comes to cricket, and love a good test anyday over ODIs. But, one should be cautious before dismissing 20-20. Similar things were said about one day cricket, but it helped improve test cricket. Compared to the boring drawn tests in the 80s, there are more results now because of the influence of ODIs. Batsmen like Sehwag and Symonds were dismissed as ODI specialists when they started, but turned out to be invaluable in tests because of their aggression. About commitments, only players with a few years left will choose the IPL over international cricket. Unless they're big names in international cricket, they won't get too much money in the IPL. If anything, ODIs should be completely stopped, and there should be more tests and 20-20 tournaments. As for the bollywood and showbiz problems, it's a cultural thing that you shouldn't dismiss. Aussies can wear bikinis and drink beer in a stadium, the West Indians play their calypso and reggae, so what's wrong with some bollywood stuff. If a stuffy pom said similar things about Aussies, how you react?

I think we have a winner! I'd be happy to scrap the 50 over stuff. Not so sure that I agree on players choosing IPL over test duties - Symonds has chosen IPL over the tour of Pakistan. The tour may be scrapped anyway, but once the precedent is set who knows what will happen. I'm not too fussed about the sideshow aspects of 20/20. It's more entertainment than sport, so the showbiz stuff just adds to it. Cheers.

Kallis might be class in test cricket but in 20/20 he will be pathetic hes useless in one day cricket let alone 20/20. I think cricket is going to end up like gridion in american where there sport basically interupts the ads. The way Ponting and Symonds are playing they might as well quit and cash in on the IPL which is just another version of county cricket where players go for there pay day i mean you cant blame them.

"It's great to play for Mumbai along with Sachin, but it would have been a lot nicer if we had Symonds, who is such a wonderful player." Harbhajan Singh's regret after the IPL auction Interesting coming from him.