How Keeping Up With Cricketing Calendar Is Becoming A Rigmarole

Bhargav Dixit

Big Bash League is one of the five T20 leagues going on right now. [Source: @BBL/X]Big Bash League is one of the five T20 leagues going on right now. [Source: @BBL/X]

How much cricket is too much cricket? It’s that time of the year when following your beloved sport is nothing short of a rigmarole. Ignoring the job description of a cricket journalist for a while, even fans find it hard to keep up with the sport in the initial months of the year nowadays.

As someone who follows cricket for a living and, obviously for pleasure, I totally understand the plight of fans when they are to keep tabs on Super Smash, Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, SA20 and International League T20 at the same time.

Oh wait, before you think that there isn’t much going on in addition to these five T20 leagues, several international series among men’s and women’s cricket are running simultaneously.

Consider it as a footnote but two major cricketing nations in India and Australia are undergoing their domestic seasons and major tournaments namely ICC Champions Trophy, Women’s Premier League, Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League are waiting in the wings. For the unversed, scrolling over a dozen scorecards on a daily basis to be in the know of Indian domestic cricket is quiet a task in itself.

As is the deep-rooted nature of a cricket devotee, glancing through scorecards just doesn’t seem enough. You don’t feel fulfilled until the nerd inside you has read thought-provoking pieces or the anorak inside you has been exposed to unbelievable stats.

Last but not the least, all of this feels futile until you haven’t watched highlights because it’s practically impossible to watch so many live matches in one day day in and day out.

Does The Cricketing Calendar Need To Improve?

Hell yes. Will it? Appears unlikely in the near future.

See, in spite of passionate remonstrances across social media platforms, the chances of an immediate improvement respite are thin on the ground. Why? Because there’s something for everyone amid this jam-packed schedule.

Be it the people watching matches from the comfort of their homes or the ones making an effort to visit the stadiums, record-breaking numbers are more than hints that someone somewhere is enjoying and benefitting from the sport.

It is true that some T20 leagues have struggled to make ends meet but everyone is well within their rights to wait for a breakout moment even at the cost of incurring financial and reputational losses. The same holds true for formats as well. I don’t think cricket will give up on any format. Test cricket, however, might be forced to give up on Day 5 in the future.

Notwithstanding the number of T20 (or T10) leagues likely to go up in the future, all one can hope for is synergy between organizing boards in order to let everyone prosper. Having said that, it’s going to be easier said than done because there can’t be more than 12 months in a year. Moreover, cricketing seasons are restricted to a few months in some countries.

The Need For Cricketers To Play Smart

Cricketers, the biggest stakeholders in the ecosystem, will have to evolve and play smart in terms of priorities. When there’s a match to be played every second day in every second continent, financial lure can be tricky to handle. Knowing that their playing careers are limited, who wouldn’t want to jump on planes to prove their mettle in different parts of the world in return for financial gains?

As a result, as a fan and a professional, one is bound to take refuge in additional research before predicting if a certain player will continue playing in one league or finish a stint prematurely to partake in another one. In the recent years, there have been quite a few instances of players playing in different leagues on alternate days.

For the sake of prolonging their own careers, players will have to come to terms with missing a league here or there. Now, I’m neither intending to initiate a country vs franchise debate nor looking to impart knowledge around giving precedency to country over money.

Forget winning, since one can’t take part in all battles, it’s always advisable to choose your battles wisely. Hence, maintaining a perfect balance between formats and finances will empower players to stand the test of time. And frankly speaking, no player would mind doing that.