IPL: good buzz going, bad buzz rearing its head

We’re reaching a critical and defining juncture of the Indian Premier League, and all the programming heads of the general entertainment channels will be watching the ratings for the next few matches closely.As three of the four semi-finalists have been virtually spotted, and the remaining spot is a two-horse race, will interest in the cricket remain as robust? And as Shah Rukh Khan’s team seems virtually out of the running and Vijay Mallya’s team IS out of the running, will the circus lose a significant component — the entertainment component – that has been responsible for the success thus far?

Meanwhile, look for gimmicks and “corrections” on Paanchvi Pass, with more of Bollywood thrown in. This, too, could be a spanner in the works. The answers could provide hints as to whether the IPL is a one-day wonder (pun unintended) or a sustainable sports product. Talking of which, the IPL seems to have quickly picked up the worst from the Barclay’s Premier League (BPL), the tournament that this tourney was based upon. The moment a team is doing badly, rumours of dissatisfaction between the owner and management and players and combinations first do the rounds followed by public spats.

As we’ve seen with Vijay Mallya and Charu Sharma. As the disagreements became more public, there was a palpable disenchantment with the team from a media perspective. A similar “fight” seems to be building up between Shahrukh Khan and Saurav Ganguly.

The public washing of dirty linen probably works to the advantage of the BPL. Will it work positively or negatively for the IPL? I’m inclined to believe the latter. Somehow, I feel only successful and proven products will benefit from bad news, much as anyone says any news is good news.

Bad news is not good news for a significant stakeholder in the IPL – the investor.

Chew on that, Messrs Mallya and Khan.