Playing Indian Premier League Means Facing More Pressure

By: Sandipan Bose

Since its inception, playing in the IPL has meant facing more pressure than participating in international cricket matches. A few prominent cricketers have been on record saying that pressure to perform from franchisee owners was the most unreasonable bit of the richest T20 league in the world.

This is the ninth year of the tournament and little seems to have changed over the years. The owners and their representatives aren’t as communicative as they were a few years ago, but they continue to nurture the corporate culture of cut-throat competition.

And yet, they cannot be blamed entirely. The IPL is a business for them. If the team doesn’t perform to its potential, the sponsors look for other options, which in turn could lead to massive financial loss. So, the way forward is to keep performing and winning.

Things have come to such a pass that even the players don’t complain much. They are paid well and dealing with pressure is a way of life. Over the years, cricketers have learnt to deal with owners and vice versa.

It’s a sort of vicious cycle. Around last year, no one thought that the Mumbai Indians would go all the way after losing most of their league matches in the first leg of the tournament. But they did. This year they are back on the field to reclaim the trophy.

Whether the Mumbai players must face the pressure of expectations is something we’ll not know for sure, but somewhere the niggling need to win is a compulsion.

The problem is that not every one can be a winner. There are days when a better team romps home. It is, after all, a sport – winning and losing are a part of it.