Hi,
You seem to have got pretty strong comments every now and then from a lot of Indian contingents and its a fact that lot many from India visits this site than from any other country (well, thats just because of the size! I am not intending anything else!). But do you think generalizing that is a good idea? Thats what I felt on reading your blog and even when you are trying to be sarcastic, I could sense that you really do want to try and insult them (and when its been generalized, it would become all Indian fans). Anyway, not being an IPL fan myself, I am fine with your blog but it certainly looks like there may be lot more brickbats coming your way.
And there is always a difference between one of your own saying things and when somebody else saying the same, isn't it?
regards,
Ullas

I am Indian but agree with you, I find the IPL tournament boring. Still, whatever your views, you are in want of an empire. Not a bad thing in itself, but the Americans are kicking your ass these days at it. So, you can only be the long tail of the new empire. My sympathies. Maybe, atleast you could rule cricket, but the Aussies are coming! They beat you at the cricket, the Indian's beat you at the money spinning and you get to write a blog and I get to comment. So all is well :-)

You may have opened a can of worms Hughesy.....

Oh, and you may want to start claiming to be distantly related to Philip Hughes come Ashes time my friend!

Keep them coming.

Bah, the IPL is so contrived that it is almost embarrassing to the Cricketing world, especially the TV personalities who blather on about how exciting it is when the crowds don’t seem very impressed. There are so many matches too! Do we actually know whether people are going to these matches? Just imagine it:
“Sooo, Fred,” Joe asks lazily from the couch. “Feel like checking out the IPL Today?”
“Nah,’ Says Fred, stretching happily. “Let’s go tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day, or the next day, or the…”
You get my point. Maybe they should have put the IPL off till next year when India could have hosted it.
Re your detractors, there are many people who will tell you their country, culture, food and cricketers are better than yours. It’s far easier to ignore the arrogant, ignorant rantings that can so easily be mistaken for nationalistic zeal.

The 'aesthetic play' has some merit. Besides that the rest of your piece is mediocre, dont forget that this is still an indian domestic competition so 'first class' not international level. If the world wants to watch indian domestic league they are welcome, but indians play there by their own rules :)

I have perused all your comments, starting with your interesting piece of writing regarding the commencement of the tournament and have certain issues I would certainly enjoy addressing however due to certain time constraints (IPL game starts in an hour) I cannot fully do so and will have to respond to one of your later satirical passages.

Perhaps there are too variants about in the air around the hosts to, in future, say that RSA did a great job but similarly, this tournament was almost held in England – Thank the Cricket gods that it wasn’t because look at how excited you lot all are about this raping of a ‘the greatest game’. I am resident in Johannesburg (for all you cricket idiots – Wanderers) and have been fortunate enough to enjoy three live games, the double header at Centurion and Sunday’s game. I promise you that the stand is the place to be, television makes it look boring but “I promise you” it is a major party! Beer is cheap and the dancers look better and better…

I have a few teams that I support – any team that has a South African except the Mumbai Indians with JP Dumminy (overrated). So every game has a pinch of excitement in it.

I think, ironically, those that have commented, included with your combined comments, will do extremely well to recall the T20 WC in RSA and remembering that England is hosting the next one in a few months with a kingdom who only recently were allowed to wear casuals to Lord’s.

Why let a country that hates the format host the tournament?

Tremendous. I can't wait to see the replies, not least because your entry will make it clear that any rantings are typical of the irrational replies to anything that doesn't laud the genius of the IPL and Modi and India at large. It occasionally saddens me, though frequently it irritates me, how so many readers interpret any criticism of the IPL, however objective and valid, as a bid to undermine all things Indian. The logic is not even fuzzy; it is absent. It's like saying 'He doesn't like the taste of Kiwi fruit, therefore he must hate New Zealand.'

I have seen little of the IPL, and what little I have seen has not endeared it to me. It's unabashed commercialism is repuganant and irritating. Personally, I struggle to understand how anyone cares who wins. It's not like the Delhi Whatsits or the Mumbai Thingymajigs represent Delhi or Mumbai in any meaningful way. The concept is a soulless money-spinner. Fine as a money-spinner, but boring as a cricket tournament.

There was an opinion piece on Cricinfo recently in which the gist was that 2 Englishmen 'created' the T20 and Lalit Modi and the BCCI found a way to make it into a money spinning event. Every invention from the West finally ends up being made and marketed by China or India after the West have made a pile. Your blog while teeming in sarcasm is bordering on envy that your "invention" has been hijacked by the BCCI before you could even make a penny out of it. Just put it down to evils of computers and the speed of communication and dont watch the IPL like me. In the early part of the 20th century the saying was that the sun never set on the EMPIRE, and in the 21st century the sun never reaches Blighty. That is the reality so live with it. Have a nice day.

I would suspect that many non-Indian cricket fans like myself would support individual players and just look to be entertained generally as we dont have any connections to the regions of the teams. I love India and think its a fantastic country but Mumbai or Kolkata dont in themselves 'belong' to me. Personally as an Australian i just watch Warne , Gilchrist & Hayden and hope that the Australian Institute of Sport is working on monkey gland potions to de-age them by 10 years.
To be honest generally i see 20/20 as a bit of fun and even the World Cup wont bring the intensity of feeling that a Test match does.

I'm an Indian living in the UK at the moment, and while your views may be objective (which I doubt), I get a definite feeling that a lot of people here dislike the IPL because they see it as a herald of a new world order in cricket where the UK is not as important. Which is true of course, which makes it all the more satisfying as far as I am concerned. :)

I hate the BCCI and the way they do things, and particularly i wish they do away with the gaudy elements of IPL(including the trophy) . But i do think it is great tournament. Also, I do have this observation about the English press's coverage. In general, i believe that they have been more critical of IPL than other countries (Read Times, The Independant and The Guardian) they weren't impressed with Modi's inaugral speech, found schaadenfraude on the Dog episode and in the Fake IPL Player. May be you normally are a classy quality conscious bunch or as you said you are in want of an Empire.
Either way, Mr Very Angry in Bangalore is quite surprised to find out why a Country with waning interest in Cricket has suddenly found time to hurl its abuses on any Cricket tournament let alone IPL ?

Im Indian and find your blog very entertaining. Quite obviously people who find this offensive, have no sense of humor or have bigger problems than that!

Im Indian and find your blog very entertaining. Quite obviously people who find this offensive, have no sense of humor or have bigger problems than that!

Congratulations on being simultaneously literate, sarcastic, and spot on. Your dig at Ajit Agarkar had me in splits. The one about Kevin Pietersen in a hall of mirrors was funny as well. Don't worry about humorless Indians raining on your parade. In a country of over a billion, there will always be some of those types.

I find the strategy breaks, the commentary and Lalit Modi annoying as hell. I am also ticked off about the shameless sucking up to the sponsors. The blatant sexism in the cheerleading is off-putting as well.

The cricket has been quite good and cometitive. There is little to choose between the top 7 teams. KKR, of course is the Buchanan disaster show. Did you happen to catch the Dwayne Smith flick shots for sixes ? He is picking up full-length balls from outside off stump and flicking them over midwicket and long-on for huge sixes. Unbelievable shots. And what about Nayar's manhandling of Flintoff ? Jakati's spin bowling is some of the best I have seen in years.

Thanks a lot Mr Hughes for your entertaining article.

Despite many shortcomings of the tournament, it has been entertaining. I have been watching as many games as possible sitting in the stands at various venues in south africa. its fantastic, but I miss misal, vada-paav in Mumbai, hyderabadi biryani, idlees and dosas in Bangalore. I miss the 'pandus' stopping me on every signal making me late for the games. I miss the posh delhi metro. I miss the rush hour at Marine Drive. I miss gol-gappe at CP. I miss cham cham on Kolkata streets. I miss the mumbai bhaiyya rikshaw-wallas forgetting all about Raj Thackrey and getting behind Ajinkya Rahane. I really think IPL should never have gone out of India. Its an original Indian thing and should be savoured in India only. I don't mind leaving Modi back in South Africa for good.

By the way Mr Hughes did you ever test zunka-bhaakri with a bottle of Mosambi while watching Mumbai Vs Delhi game? I must say you should try is once.

Actually, I'll take that back - just read your earlier posts, which were lovely. This is obviously a reaction to some crazy comment on an earlier piece - and I don't want to be reacting to a reaction :)

Very sarcastic Andrew!! Now if it had been English Premier League, you would have been showering loads of praise upon the same guys and the format would have been so amazing, enthralling, the cheer girls would have been so 'beautiful' and the play would be so engrossing that even after witnessing empty stands, you would have been saying that the match was a fantastic event!!!!

maybe u r angry becoz the poms have bin a total washout in the IPL
1.the only thing i remember of KP (its not the the failed swith-hit) is his surprisingly sensible comment that "experience cant be bought in a shop at cape town or bangalore"
2.the only thing i remember of freddie is... um.. well i cant remember anything(and he took home 1.55mn , who says the IPL didnt make the poms richer?)
3.owais shah and collingwood consistently fought over the seat nearest the cheerleaders in the dugout for abt 7 matches.

only ravi bopara made a telling contribution.(need i brag abt his indian roots)

The English almighty of course have their own sets of rules, traditions, likes & dislikes, be it cricket, tennis or any other sport..
While its ok for Flintoff to open his shirt & celebrate at Mumbai, it is wrong for Ganguly to do it at Lords.

Thanks to everyone who took the time and trouble to comment on my ramblings, to criticise or praise, it is still appreciated.

Ravi - I don't find the IPL boring. Quite the opposite. And personally, I really don't want an Empire - my house is so small there would be nowhere to put it.

Brendon - England are going to be spanked royally this summer and Mr Hughes will be doing the spanking.

K Prakash - flattering though it is to be credited as the inventor of Twenty20, I have to come clean - it wasn't me and therefore jealousy on my part wouldn't really be appropriate.

Siva - You are right. The English press has been far too negative about the IPL. But then it is full of jealous ex-pros who never got the chance to play in it.

DJ - I am a big critic of the proposed EPL (one of my earlier posts should confirm it) with its 18 teams and no public interest

Giri - If I became angry each time an England cricketer played badly, I would have spontaneously combusted by now.

Hey dude, I used to like your blog but I think this last post was a bit of a generalised attack on the Indians and the sarcasm couldn't veil your anger. By doing this you have just proved the angry fans right and disapointed your loyal readers.
Agarkar comment was hilarious but the follow up was a bit of bitter and crude retort (and in my humble opinion, not a very funny one at that).
Good luck for the future.

i think this one very good

I don't understand how so may people can completely miss the point of these posts. It's called humour, he's not being serious. Why is it so hard to understand? He is enjoying the IPL, and he thinks it's much more entertaining and relevant than any other cricket that's happening at the moment. But he also thinks there are some things about it that are funny, ridiculous and worth poking fun at. Criticising Setanta's TV coverage is not a criticism of the IPL, it's a criticism of Setanta (and is legitimate considering you have to pay an extra £10 to see it). How can he be accused of jealousy when he's actually saying that the IPL is entertaining and enjoyable? He doesn't represent the English cricket establishment (he's already criticised them strongly), and all the stuff about Imperialism is just ridiculous. If you can't grasp the humour invloved in these posts, there's not really any point replying to them. As a great man once said, 'Don't criticise what you can't understand...'

Reading the comments, I get the feeling that the anti-IPL group (where I belong) is now bigger than the pro-IPL group. This is wonderful, as I was always outnumbered in 'friendly' discussions.

My trump card is: Dear IPL-lovers, what exactly has IPL done to revolutionise the game, except drive it to further depths of commercialisation (read corruption)?

The IPL (if successful) will do immense damage to test cricket. The curious case of Chris Gayle proves this point. His anti-test cricket comments can be compared to the son who repays his mother by kicking her in the womb. He is a disgrace to the sport (nay humanity)

Hi Andrew,

I enjoy your blog hugely and don't think its imperialist or anti-indian, it's anything but - really! so it's a bit sad to see the discussion on this page resemble an India versus World XI exhibition match.. in my experiences, such match ups are usually gimmicky, devoid of sporting spirit and completely unnecessary!

I would urge everyone on either side to take a deep breath and chill. It's only the IPL, and its supposed to be fun so why vitiate that atmosphere?! A little tolerance on either side would greatly enhance everyone's enjoyment.

Looking forward to hearing more from the Old Blighty..

What a nasty piece of work the latest blog is. Making fun of the English used by Indian posters is pathetic. How's your Hindi? The IPL is ripe for criticism but such a one eyed piece just adds to Indian belief about our preference for the good old days when they did what we told them.

I'm an Englishman that Sky+s the IPL and enjoy it for the crash bang wallop entertainment it is. No more, no less And after the Stanford nonsense we really can't criticise anyone on the grounds of crass commercialism can we? As tacky as Modi and his cronies are they don't fly around showing off their cash to all in a glass box. And I'd also agree with the Indians who blame the bad press the IPL gets on the grounds of English envy and resentment of India's status as the game's top dog.

James. You see that piece of the stick you're holding? Doesn't feel quite right, does it. That's because you've grabbed the wrong end.

It would indeed be pathetic to make fun of the English used by Indian posters. It would also be racist and entirely without merit or justification. I wouldn't countenance doing it and I doubt Cricinfo would permit such odiousness on their site. But in case I have missed something, I'd be grateful if you could point out where you feel I have done that, so I can correct it.

Secondly, for about the one hundred and fifty-seventh time, I am watching the IPL and I am enjoying it.

Your Stanford allusion is an interesting one. I also watched that 'tournament' but I don't quite follow your logic on the crass commercialism. As it happens, I have only touched relatively lightly on the commercial side of the IPL, others have been more scathing. But why shouldn't I comment on both?

“The Setanta presenter was almost in tears of gratitude at the beauty of it all” – hilarious! Have to say Setanta have mixed it up a bit lately with their new intake of studio guests.
Couldn’t agree with Conor’s post more – not sure how any of the readers of the blog can mistake what’s obviously said in jest as being anti IPL or worse anti-Indian?!? – Mr Hughes is clearly enjoying the tournament… I’ve loved the tournament and have been impressed how well attended the matches have been by the South African public, but the passion for the franchises from their home cities has been missing with the tournament not being in India, just ask Warnie what an advantage it was for the Royals to play at Jaipur. Hope they manage to sneak into the last four!
And to all the IPL haters out there: please just stop watching, reading and writing about it and leave us to it…am sure your time’s better spent enjoying the type of cricket you do like to watch, be it Ranji, county, test or whatever…

Andrew, as a cricket lover (and IPL fan!) who enjoys your pieces, I'm a tad disappointed that you're giving jingoistic / paranoid fans (like all countries, India has them too) importance enough to write a piece in response. For every V.Angry.Indian.Reader there are probably a couple of Chuckling.Indian.Readers. So Andrew, pls don't get entrapped by unfair feedback. Do resume your normal service. Cheers!

Heh! I just love it when my compatriots get into a blather whenever somebody insults Modi and the BCCI. Criticising the IPL has nothing to do with the hangover of empire, FFS! When will we ever grow up, for chrissake!? Imperialism is over. Finished. Finito. Done. Dusted. Let's get over it now, shall we?

Btw, I'm Indian. And no, I don't like flags. Of any sort. And will never do so. Unless nudist beaches make flags.

I think the articles should be balance and as few places it looks harsh to IPL fans but still i think writer has raised few valid points.
for example, few people claimed that it is an indain tournament, right!!! but can i ask why indian board forces ICC to clear the space in schedule for IPL to host or why other boards are forced to cancel ties with ICL players.
Similarly that fielding standard has to decrease considering myself a club player and playign two matches on weekend soak up us and i just can took pity on the IPL players for keep playing.
I also think writer raised a valid point to have a session break which is of benefit for the IPL/BCCI as it will not interfere the international scheduling to have two pieces after 6 months and it will also keep the entertainment alive (remember even a hardcore Micheal Jacksen fan cant listen him constantly 6 weeks or so).
As i live in UK too and i understand the press behavior and i think they are right as why should

--continued
why should bother to write about it and they have rightly criticized the wealth effects if it rule your premier player before the world cup?
Similarly, i think BCCI/IPL/India can benefit from the IPL more if it just keep it a normal tournament not a money machine and forcing all other counteries and compatitors by bulldozing it.
otherwise its better to develop league under ICC so that every country represent and those too who are complaining..
i can write on and on but i think that should be enough to tell people we love cricket/nationality not money

IPL is essentially rubbish because 20/20 is a rubbish format. It is bad enough at low amateur level but for decent cricketers it simply doesn't add up. The proof is in the chaotic results - these are essentially random because luck/stochastic variation play a much bigger part then in more skilful versions of cricket. Still, if it attracts the ignorant masses then it cant be all bad but it is worrying that some players are putting it first because of the bucks, even though they must know how rubbish it is.

There are two camps the known universe is divided into - pro-IPL and anti-IPL. The pro-IPL lot defend everything that comes with it, its corporate Indian roots, its crudity, its lack of finesse on and off the field - its Bollywoodisation, in short.
The anti-IPL camp, intimidated and revolted by its crassness, yet drawn to it by prurient curiosity (freak-shows have always drawn crowds, and whats an addict to do, watch Eng- WI?), give vent in impotent self-righteous rage, like brother Hughes so eloquently does. But the pro-IPL camp will deny them even that. Like our yank saviours, they will not only carpet bomb you, but you had better thank them for it. Hughes, you ingrate you!

You're the most humorous writer on cricinfo after Andy Z and you making Page 2 clearly shows cricinfo agrees with me.

It's sad to see some of my countrymen take offense at the things you've said, especially because from what I've read you have found quite a few positives in the tournament. There are many things wrong with the tournament and I'm sure a lot of Indians would acknowledge it. Unfortunately some of them don't want foreigners to point them out.

Please don't let some chauvinistic dimwits deter you from writing here!

Anglosaxon, I concur that a lot of my compatriots ar illogical and take any criticism of IPL personally and rant about the anti-India, Imperialist mentality and so on. I have enjoyed both the seasons of IPl and support the Banaglore Royal Challengers because that is my hometown. By the way, both Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble are from Bangalore so in a way representative of the city. That is the same for all the teams in the IPL. IPL is garish and the trophy is truly hideous but the cricket is entertaining. Where else can I see Kallis and Dravid batting together or Warne bowling to Hayden or Dale Steyn disturbing graham Smith's stumps. It is like the Barclays Premier League....I love it for the sheer entertainment of seeing some truly world class players sometimes being humbled by a hitherto unknown boy from a lower middle class family of Vadodara. Forget the flashing lights and the dancing girls; revel in the masters at work and get swept away in the excitement.