Star Sports has bagged the rights to telecast IPL, and we couldn’t be happier. Finally, we’ll not have to bear with inane shows like Extraa Innings and even more inane bits like the ‘Thoko Band’ counter. Not that IPL is something for the purists, but still, having a reputed and experienced sports broadcaster like Star will make the carnival a bit more bearable.
We never knew why SET Max, which is basically a channel that plays Sooryavansham again and again and again, becomes a sports channel during IPL season. But hey, the nightmare is over. We never like Mandira Bedi, nor did we like Gaurav Kapur. Yes, someone like a Shoaib Akhtar did provide lots of comic relief as an analyst, but we’d much rather have hosts like Jatin Sapru. Yes, Star could do better than Sanjay Manjrekar, but then no one’s got it all.
We don’t understand why cheerleaders (they are extremely talented dancers) have to dance to Bollywood numbers, before the match begins, during an innings break and after the match commences. Yes, we understand that IPL has a lot of monetary clout, but to waste resources and people’s energy on something so irrelevant is beyond us. Hopefully, with Star we will see a much more professional coverage.
As a broadcaster, Star has the rights (India) for the biggest sporting events – from EPL to Wimbledon, they’ve covered everything, and we are sure that they can handle IPL without batting an eyelid. As they have a host of channels, we might actually see two games happen at the same time. That only time will tell.
Also, as viewers, we get used to pressing certain buttons on the remote, and to go through a change during IPL season is one of the tiny discomforting things that’ll disappear from next year. The familiar logo, the familiar channel number will only help.
Unfortunately, we think brand placements like a DLF Maximum or a CEAT Tyres Strategic Timeout are here to stay. The extremely garish jerseys are here to stay. Probably, Delhi Daredevils’ and Kings XI Punjab’s bad form is also here to stay, but that’s being harsh.
