Is T20 cricket getting too hot to handle?

Is T20 cricket getting too hot to handle?

The Twenty20 form of the game has been on the rise since its inception years back in England. The home of cricket launched this exciting new format and its popularity sky-rocketed from the word go.

After that, other nations adapted the version for their domestic structure. South Africa were the one who promoted T20 cricket up to a new level. Their Pro20 league was a major hit and attracted huge audience.

More countries followed the same route and Pakistan, one of the leading cricketing powerhouses, also successfully hosted domestic T20 competitions. That tournament certainly paved the way for local youngsters to showcase their worth and revealed talented players for future for this cricket-loving country.

The highlight came when the inaugural World Twenty20 event was staged in South Africa last year. The tournament turned out to be the biggest blockbuster of the year and presented a showcase final match between arch-rivals Pakistan and India -- a fairytale ending to any tournament one can hope for.

And things have never been the same since then. Now, on a regular basis, T20 matches are the highlight of tour schedules between all Test-playing nations. That certainly helps the organisers to attract more crowds towards stadiums and generate funds.

But not everything generated from this T20 phenomenon has been positive.

Though cricket has been promoted because of its fast-growing recognition, a war has erupted between financial supremos in the world of cricket.

This war relates to the fact that who can attract more star power towards their respective leagues. It's about who can pay the players more. And it's about who can promote the game better amongst other things.

The scenario was created when an Indian TV company, one of the leading broadcasters in the country, was impressed by the success of T20 cricket. Having all the financial backup, sponsors and broadcasting rights in their kitty, they decided to launch their own T20 league.

That league was named the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and it created a major stir in the cricketing world. People said this was a big opportunity for the players -- both international and local -- to showcase their talent in front of the whole world.

But nobody knew that the idea of staging this tournament could explode into an ever-lasting debate.

The problem that rose was about the tournament's recognition. The ICL wasn't approved by the richest sporting body in the world -- Board of Control for Cricket in India -- and that angered the BCCI in the first place.

Everyone knows that the BCCI likes to do things its own way. They knew that ICL could be a threat to their supremacy in India and they immediately started to oppose the league terming it as 'the rebel league'.

But that didn't affect the ICL organisers' morale. They continued working on their project and stood tall against opposition.

Things took a new twist when BCCI issued statements that they would ban players from representing India or local domestic teams in future if they opt to play for ICL.

Then, BCCI teamed up with other cricketing boards to back them on this issue and were successful immediately. The ICL, which wasn't recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) either, was in tatters at that moment.

But they didn't stop here and finally did manage to stage the tournament. The event saw former and present players taking part in the tourney from all over the world. Local players from the Indian domestic structure also took part in a large number.

The tournament, though, wasn't much of a success as it didn't have the backup from ICC and national cricketing boards. It was telecasted on a single TV channel only and as the organisers didn't have authority to stage the matches on different grounds (BCCI had banned them from doing so), they had to hold the entire ties at a single stadium.

The end result saw many players getting life bans from their respective boards. They are now ineligible to play in national colours or even in domestic leagues. The ICL, one can say, put brakes on their careers.

As the BCCI had started to counter the staging of ICL, they had to show something and prove their worth that they were a force to be reckoned with. This they did by announcing their own T20 league -- known as the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The IPL, these days, has been making all the headlines in the cricketing world. Born to oppose and knock down the ICL in the first place, this official T20 league has the backing of all national cricket boards plus the ICC.

To cap that, it also ensures safety for the players. Cricketers participating in this tournament -- local or international -- won't be barred from representing their national teams or their respective domestic outfits.

The most delicious part of the tournament's recipe comes when players' salaries are brought into the equation.

The IPL, which has eight franchises, recently held a players' bid ceremony. The players were to be purchased by the franchises after calling up suitable bids for them. The franchise making the highest bid for a particular player then got him to play for them. The team will pay the winning bid to the player annually.

The IPL, one feels, will be a major breakthrough in the world of cricket. It guarantees to blow away the ICL fever and seems sure to attract more big names. Though ICL had enrolled a few big stars themselves too, the restrictions implemented on them and its players seem too much to handle for them.

The inaugural 44-day IPL will get underway on April 18. It will be broadcasted on more than one channel unlike ICL. IPL will attract more sponsors, more facilities will be provided to the players and more stadiums will get the chance to host its matches -- everything ICL was unable to do.

One of the most interesting prospects ahead will be of the Champions League. The proposed league will be played on the format of football's Champions Leagues in Europe and Asia which see top football clubs from different countries compete against each other for the coveted prize.

Likewise, domestic T20 champions from Test playing nations will compete against each other in cricket's Champions League. That will prove to be another crowd-favourite event if all goes well.

But there's something which can be a disrupting factor in the future for the ICC as well as for national boards. As IPL is a cash-rich tournament, it has attracted almost all the top players in the world. And when it comes to money-making antics, one feels that commitment towards the country is put on the line.

For example, Andrew Symonds, the Australian all-rounder, who was the second most expensive player in the IPL bidding process last week, said that he won't be touring Pakistan along with this team. (Australia's tour to Pakistan coincides with the dates of IPL).

Why? Symonds says that Pakistan's political crisis has made him take this decision. But there is nothing to worry about on this issue these days. Australia, who were thinking of pulling off from their tour because of the same reason, have now finally decided go on with it.

Pakistan saw successful elections being held last week and it surely must have erased all the concerns from Aussies' minds. Our nation has proved that it's a safe place for anyone to visit and touring parties won't have any problems here.

When Cricket Australia is ready to change its mind, why not Symonds? That's where the commitment comes into play.

Australia batsman Michael Clarke and bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark have all put their priorities above IPL. They feel playing for Australia is of more importance than making money in India. Then why is Symonds against it?

The only thing that comes to mind is the fact that he (Symonds) would like to play in the IPL and make good cash. If it wasn't for that, he surely would have said "yes, I will go to Pakistan and playing for IPL isn't a priority for me."

The second issue of concern is that of tour schedules and IPL dates. The ICC has confirmed that they won't put IPL into its calendar. And that would create a lost of hassle.

Players participating in the IPL would now feel that if their team's matches are scheduled at the same time as of IPL's, they will be in trouble. They won't be able to decide whom to play for.

Players' burn-out and fatigue factor will be amongst other things of great concern. The international cricket calendar of almost all the teams is packed up and with a lot of cricket to be played over the year, as FTP lays out, players' injuries and burn-out are likely to happen on a regular basis. That would hamper their own future and their teams' progress would also be affected.

These are some issues the cricketing masterminds and all the concerned boards have to look after. Though the popularity of cricket is on a rise and its progression is faster than ever, one has to make sure that T20 phenomenon doesn't get too hot to handle.