IPL has Begun........!

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has kicked off finally after so much hype,expectations, criticism, confusions, controversies, negotiations, drama and marketing!!! To just brief about IPL to those who are not aware of it, it is basically a cricket league started by the BCCI (Board of control for cricket in India)for its cricket crazy nation. The core concept of the league is based on the lines of something like English premier league for football. This league has eight teams representing eight cities in India and these teams are owned by Big corporate giants and bollywood stars. There were so much of oh's and ah's about this league since it has many of the best international players in it bought by the franchises for some huge amounts of money surprising everyone from cricketing legends to a common cricket fan. This IPL was challenged whether it can overcome one's nationalistic passion to enjoy it just as a mere entertainment. Cricket and nationalistic passion go parallel for a vast majority of cricket fans in India. But IPL has rivalled it by having international players playing along with the Indian stars which we were not used to before. I still prefer and also admit that I had more satisfaction and a overflowing passion in watching a 5 day Test cricket match between India and Pakistan in comparison to watching a 3 hours Twenty20 cricket between Chennai and Kolkata or Bangalore and Mumbai. But this is a different generation cricket which no nobody has experienced.
After seeing the first match of the IPL today between Bangalore and Kolkata, I felt like I have to rethink once more on my opinion about IPL. The stadium was jam packed and the fans were supporting the home team, Bangalore and it was all the same experience except one fact that it is not a international game. Am really excited now to see how my home team (referring to Chennai) performs? I feel strange to think of conflicting passions......If I support the chennai team against a say Mumbai, Does it mean am very regionalistic? When you see a group of boys representing your city and those names which you are very much familiar with (like your friend's/relative's/neighbour's name) and the city wearing a festive look with the cut-outs and banners of the team players, is'nt it more natural to support a home team? Even though I support because of the fact that it is my place, the player who is leading is not from the state and a hand full of players in the team are from different countries. so in the end what I relish is the cricket and to add some spice to the enjoyment I need that passion feeling which I develop with the fact that the team is representing my home town!!
I really enjoyed one of the banner showed by a ardent cricket fan in today's match which said "IPL cricket stands for Indian People Love cricket". I go by it and look forward to see this IPL doing well though it is not the real cricket feeling I am used to all these years, where am glued to the seat to see only India end up winning and disappointed every time whenever India lose. New generation, New cricket, New fun, but not test run yet!!!!! so, IPL has begun and I am hoping for chennai super kings to perform the best......."Go yellow.....Go Kings.......welcome to the Lion's den!!!" These were some of the hot lines really setting up chennai's die hard cricket fans for the home coming games in next two weeks!!!!!!