Too much, never enough: Why the IPL feels exhausting and irresistible at the same time
The IPL is truly a beast like no other. The 2026 edition of the tournament has barely warmed up, and yet it has taken on a life of its own.
On social media, the buzz is that there is no buzz around the 19th edition, yet more reels are being made, more Twitter threads are being strung together, and more arguments are breaking out.
In Kolkata, Eden Gardens is not filling up, and in Bangalore, fans are complaining that online ticket sales are a mess: a minute after the deadline, they’re sold out, and it’s impossible for the common man to get tickets because the stands are full.On television, a new hero is born each evening, and stories of hard labour in the hinterland, of sacrifices made and setbacks overcome, catch the imagination as much as the fours and sixes raining down.
Also Read | IPL 2026 sees 3% dip in TV ad volumes in first two weeks
About that. Purists complain that there is no real joy to be had from this one-way traffic of runs and that monstrous totals being scored are monotonous. And yet, they watch every day. For who can take a chance on missing out on whatever new thing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will do at 15, challenging everything we know about batting? Who wants to be left behind from the journey of discovery Mukul Choudhary is on, doing things even he may not have known were possible?
The IPL came hot on the heels of the ICC T20 World Cup, and India’s victory in that tournament ensured that fans were absorbed from the time the first ball was bowled to the last. They were invested, taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride, and rewarded. Surely, the appetite for T20 cricket had been sated, at least momentarily?
But there is a stark difference between a World Cup and the IPL. The world’s premier franchise T20 league boasts the best players, and some teams are certainly stronger than some of the national outfits that took part in the global event. At the very least, they would give some international teams a serious run for their money. But the World Cup was different because there was more balance between bat and ball. Central to this are the pitches. The venues may largely be the same — the IPL is not yet playing games in Sri Lanka — but during the World Cup, totals of 170-180 asked serious questions of the teams chasing.
In the IPL, 200 is not even a par score, forget about being safe. The toss has also been massively important because chasing gives teams a distinct advantage, as it arms them with intimate knowledge of the conditions on the day and how much they have to stretch themselves.
When the conditions are loaded in favour of batsmen, it takes some of the tension out of the game. The first innings sets the tone to a great degree: a huge score means that it will take a miracle to chase, a middling one means the team batting second barely breaks a sweat, and rare is the game that hangs in the balance till the last over.
The Impact Player rule, allowing teams to substitute one member of the starting XI, has also fuelled the run glut in the IPL. But this is not something that repels fans. It’s early in the tournament, and while trends are easily spotted — RCB consolidating, RR on the rise, CSK stagnating, KKR stumbling — it is not yet time to celebrate or panic, depending on what camp you are in. Also, the texture of anxiety when supporting the national team, and willing it to win a knockout game so it has a shot at eventual glory, is significantly different from going on a journey with a club.
You can be a die-hard RCB fan, but there are Indian players in other teams who form the core of your cricketing loyalty, and when they are not playing against your team, it is natural to support them and wish them success. In that sense, it is much easier for viewers to simply enjoy the early part of the IPL.
Also Read | LSG sign George Linde as replacement for injured Hasaranga
Come the second half, the qualification equations for the playoffs bring games into much sharper focus. Teams that are out of contention or almost there start introspecting on what went wrong and looking forward to what they can do differently in the next season, and what personnel tweaks need to be considered.
In that sense, the IPL is a tournament that has something for everyone. Much credit must go to those who set it up as they did, but, equally, the tournament has grown organically into something even the most prescient could not have predicted.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
On social media, the buzz is that there is no buzz around the 19th edition, yet more reels are being made, more Twitter threads are being strung together, and more arguments are breaking out.
In Kolkata, Eden Gardens is not filling up, and in Bangalore, fans are complaining that online ticket sales are a mess: a minute after the deadline, they’re sold out, and it’s impossible for the common man to get tickets because the stands are full.On television, a new hero is born each evening, and stories of hard labour in the hinterland, of sacrifices made and setbacks overcome, catch the imagination as much as the fours and sixes raining down.
Also Read | IPL 2026 sees 3% dip in TV ad volumes in first two weeks
About that. Purists complain that there is no real joy to be had from this one-way traffic of runs and that monstrous totals being scored are monotonous. And yet, they watch every day. For who can take a chance on missing out on whatever new thing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will do at 15, challenging everything we know about batting? Who wants to be left behind from the journey of discovery Mukul Choudhary is on, doing things even he may not have known were possible?
The IPL came hot on the heels of the ICC T20 World Cup, and India’s victory in that tournament ensured that fans were absorbed from the time the first ball was bowled to the last. They were invested, taken on an emotional rollercoaster ride, and rewarded. Surely, the appetite for T20 cricket had been sated, at least momentarily?
But there is a stark difference between a World Cup and the IPL. The world’s premier franchise T20 league boasts the best players, and some teams are certainly stronger than some of the national outfits that took part in the global event. At the very least, they would give some international teams a serious run for their money. But the World Cup was different because there was more balance between bat and ball. Central to this are the pitches. The venues may largely be the same — the IPL is not yet playing games in Sri Lanka — but during the World Cup, totals of 170-180 asked serious questions of the teams chasing.
In the IPL, 200 is not even a par score, forget about being safe. The toss has also been massively important because chasing gives teams a distinct advantage, as it arms them with intimate knowledge of the conditions on the day and how much they have to stretch themselves.
When the conditions are loaded in favour of batsmen, it takes some of the tension out of the game. The first innings sets the tone to a great degree: a huge score means that it will take a miracle to chase, a middling one means the team batting second barely breaks a sweat, and rare is the game that hangs in the balance till the last over.
The Impact Player rule, allowing teams to substitute one member of the starting XI, has also fuelled the run glut in the IPL. But this is not something that repels fans. It’s early in the tournament, and while trends are easily spotted — RCB consolidating, RR on the rise, CSK stagnating, KKR stumbling — it is not yet time to celebrate or panic, depending on what camp you are in. Also, the texture of anxiety when supporting the national team, and willing it to win a knockout game so it has a shot at eventual glory, is significantly different from going on a journey with a club.
You can be a die-hard RCB fan, but there are Indian players in other teams who form the core of your cricketing loyalty, and when they are not playing against your team, it is natural to support them and wish them success. In that sense, it is much easier for viewers to simply enjoy the early part of the IPL.
Also Read | LSG sign George Linde as replacement for injured Hasaranga
Come the second half, the qualification equations for the playoffs bring games into much sharper focus. Teams that are out of contention or almost there start introspecting on what went wrong and looking forward to what they can do differently in the next season, and what personnel tweaks need to be considered.
In that sense, the IPL is a tournament that has something for everyone. Much credit must go to those who set it up as they did, but, equally, the tournament has grown organically into something even the most prescient could not have predicted.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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