IPL looks to be a hit

It has been called the future of cricket and some people have also called it the death of cricket.

Whatever it may eventually turn out to be, the IPL has been full of entertainment, excitement and thrill. It indeed has been a rocking start for the tournament and also great to see so many top international cricketers in India for a professional league.

Still, being a cricketer, I would place Test Cricket as the ultimate test of skills for any cricketer. IPL is like a great package of so many things put in one basket. The first impression is believed to be the most sound. Coming together of the two biggest passions in our country - Bollywood and Cricket - the IPL could well be on its way to achieving the perfect harmony between the two with a lot of success.

Seeing the crowds on a Super Sunday in Kolkata and Mumbai was truly an amazing sight-good quality cricket, a dash of the glamour world and a lot of entertainment for the spectators on the ground.

The first World Cup of Twenty 20 in South Africa proved there was audience for the Twenty20 games.This is one format of the cricket where people could work during the day, spend three hours watching cricket (with a definite result) in the evening and still be able to go pub-hobbling with friends later and discuss the game that they just saw.

Having gone to witness the match at Delhi between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals, the atmosphere at the Ferozeshah Kotla was electrifying. Having played a lot of cricket at Kotla, it was great to see a new look Kotla stadium, packed with spectators under lights. As a cricketer, I only wished that I was born 10 years later, so that I would have been part of this mega event and also the mega bucks associated with it!

The best thing I like about the IPL is that although a team may have seven or eight overseas players, only four overseas players can play in the final eleven. This means the local talent from the catchment area is automatically groomed, which is going to be of great help for Indian cricket in the future. It is a god sent opportunity for players like Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Rajat Bhatia, Karan Goel and the like to show their mettle in the company of great international stars.