This is just my opinion and might not hold any truth but this is what I feel about the cricket matches that are taking place these days.
well the number 1 reason being that there is a whole lot of money flowing into the sport which is a good thing but is the money that is flowing in actually having a impact on the outcome of the game is what I want to know? A simple example the recently concluded Twenty twenty world cup which India won but was india suppose to be in the final, can australia the world champions in cricket lose a match from a position that they are sure to win the match. Was the india - pakistan final just so that that the advertisers (mostly indian companies ) had their target audience watching the match.
Here is a scenario the main sponsor of the tournament is Reliance mobile a company which has presence only in India (so far) so would a final of Australia and New Zealand be of any real benefit to them I don’t think so. And not to forget the ad slots prizes went up so the TV channels piled in all the cash from the sale of the ad inventory for the finals which was a India- Pakistan final something which most advertisers in India would definitely give their arm and leg for.
Here are some interesting figures apparently India’s early exit from the world cup costs advertisers close to 600 crores (wow thats a lot of money) when ad campaigns etc had to be pulled of the air and then most of this advertisers decided to move their interest to something else which is less risky like the use of film stars rather then cricketers for endorsing their products And some of the advertisers were considering never to look at cricket tournaments as a platform to reach their targeted audience. BCCI had to do something drastic and This win by india is exactly what they wanted but most of you must be wondering this is perfect timing but according to me it is not the entire event seems fabricated that India reached the final so that the indian television audience would watch the matches.
India defeating England yes the one over from Yuvraj did it for India but comprehending that Australia can lose to India in the semi final from the position that they were in is totally nonsensical to me as they were not Bangladesh or South Africa to choke under pressure but they did throw the match away. I have not seen Ricky Ponting happy sometimes even when he has won the match but he was happy to lose to India. If you see the video footage you see him smiling.
After all BCCI is the richest cricket board in India and if they were exiting tournaments early it would impact the ICC more then BCCI as some of the major tournaments for ICC seem to have indian sponsors the simple fact being the booming economy and loads of cash for companies to promote themselves so the ICC will be at the mercy of BCCI for money.
The lots of money flowing in is good for the game but if the match outcome is influenced by this money then I think it is really sad for everyone who enjoys watching a good old contest between the bat, ball and human spirit. Well with India winning the T20 world cup the advertisers are all upbeat about cricket again and even some of the ads from that 600 crore world cup debacle of India are making their way back onto the TV screens.
If you think this post is crap then this simple questions will clear your mind
Would you as a Indian charged with emotion watch the final if India was not playing in it? and would you see the many reliance mobile ads that were shown?? If you still have doubts why do all the teams in the tournaments that India is playing in the deciding match is always the last match of the series?? (see India’s England tour before the T20 after the initial drubbing at the hands of the English suddenly India rise and win then for the last match of the series it is do or die situation if India had lost the series before the final match then hardly the last few matches would have drawn any serious viewership) I think the only countries that are playing to their potential is countries like Bangladesh,Zimbabwe etc
and also cant afford one financially with me investing all my money in myself and also trying to raise more capital from friends first and then will try to raise some from the market (raising capital in india is a headache and will write a separate post on that later).