Should the IPL venue be moved out of India?

“Yes”. And not to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh! Either it should be moved to England or Australia.

Enough is enough. Indian cricketers have show-cased their talent on Indian soil over the four seasons of the Indian premier league. Even the ongoing one is no different as the local boys going for it with ease. No doubt that I and the million Indian cricket mates are absolutely exhilarated for that. When the IPL started in 2008, right after the Indian T20 squad lifted the world cup, it was said to be the show that would bring the upcoming Indian cricketers into lime light. It lived up to the expectation till date. Many Indian youngsters who after excelling in IPL could get through to the capped players list. Some came back soon and some still going on finding on their own how long they could or would sustain.

More than what is gone in Indians’ way, IPL succeeded in show casing the Indian conditions, expectations, game plans to the foreign players amidst the blistering night parties. Sharing the dressing room with them was a true luck for the Indian uncapped players, but the forgotten fact is that moving all over India at single stretch and by this way getting accustomed to the Indian circumstances has been a blessing in disguise for the foreign players. Had Indian not won the world cup, forget about Sachin’s dream, each and every individual of the team and BCCI would have been put under whopping rebuke with the comments popping in from all possible sides, especially on IPL.

Now, I think, it’s the perfect time for BCCI to think upon conducting the biggest cricket show, in terms of economy exchange, on foreign soils. The recent set backs of the Indian world cup winning team and the first rank rated test squad, incessantly on the soils of English and down under, I have no doubts in saying so. Get the players there. Let them get accustomed to the different surfaces and conditions. Sending team well before the tournament proved as an utter flop idea after the worst ever debacle down under. If it’s not for the matches, competition, and show casing before the crowd, very few players put their ‘everything’ into practice. IPL would be the most loved platform by them to do so.

I’m not sure how much BCCI can dare losing the tsunami like money inflow. But, if at all its aim is to make Indian cricket the robust, and cricketers the unconquerable, better leave money and catch other cricket boards for their permissions. No country’s cricket board would ever let IPL happen on their soils knowing this fact and tactics. But money may not be wanted by some but it is needed by all. I know me as a big fan of this game. Having been able to watch ninety percent of the IPL matches couple of years back, my poorest follow up of the ongoing season is making me go nuts and say ‘yes’ to demand the change of venue for IPL.

Yes, centuries have come up. Indian players have come into lime light. But it just lasted as long as the tournament lasted. Later the lime lighters are again the eleven who have played with Indian symbolized helmets on their heads. Of course even if IPL happens on foreign soils it would only be the eleven that could play later in the international matches. But the results and successes make all the difference.

PS: I’ve my own point of view to say “No” to the venue change. I’ll probably share later.