Just One More Season...

Whatever...

The ambivalence felt by most cricket-following South Africans towards the IPL is its greatest attraction. So many fascinating storylines can be followed at a pace of your choosing and safe in the knowledge that the outcome will, at most, be ‘interesting.’

Dispassionate, objective analysis of teams in which you have an active, even passionate interest is hard – it takes effort and commitment and fails more often than not. For the vast majority of us (with apologies to a few thousand teenagers who almost certainly don’t read this column) it comes delightfully easily when the IPL is on the telly.

One of the best parts is watching or listening to two non-believers debating the merits and demerits of, say, the IPL-exclusive Impact Player and knowing, for certain, that neither gives a rat’s arse who’s right and who’s wrong.

Sure, it is reassuring to see Aiden Markram scoring runs regularly again after a year struggling for consistency and Tristan Stubbs has risen to the challenge of becoming an established middle order mainstay rather a designated ‘finisher.’ Marco Jansen has again confirmed his status amongst the most exciting all rounders in the world and Ryan Rickelton has already done enough to prove he is the ‘real deal.’ But how many of their teams can you name?

But the most fascinating story for many casual observers concerns the mysterious umbilical cord which attaches 43-year-old MS Dhoni to the Chennai Super Kings. The former great retired from all international cricket in August 2020 and has not played at any level in the intervening five years – apart from the IPL.

He trains assiduously for 6-8 weeks before the tournament begins and enrols a host of very willing net bowlers and fitness specialists. He has had a number of knee operations but both remain a little wonky although they have had no effect on his dazzling reflexes as a wicket keeper. He may even, still be the quickest gloveman in the competition.

He handed the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad last season but has since resumed as leader after his replacement was ruled out of the tournament through injury. As a batsman he is still able to lash a few boundaries but is a pale shadow of his former self. In one match, after yet another early collapse, he emerged at number nine with the match all-but lost.

Long-time coach and former New Zealand captain, Stephen Fleming, said afterwards – with a straight face: “His knees still give him trouble so he wasn’t up to batting for ten overs. We leave it up to him, he lets us know what he can give us on the day.” What?! Is this the world’s most valuable sports league or a benefit competition?

An old friend and colleague of 25+ years recently wrote about the situation in the Hindustan Times. The brilliant and timeless Sharda Ugra is notoriously fearless and always capable of dispassion when she is doing her job. She described the addictive FOMO that has gripped an entire generation of Dhoni disciples and the divide it has caused between those who actually follow and support the team and those who follow the former Indian captain.

There is considerable anger amongst the ‘actual’ team supporters about the continually propagated myth that the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) would be half-empty if and when Dhoni ever does retire. Some were even brave enough to talk on the record and dared to repeat the ages old sporting law that ‘no individual is bigger than the team.’

Sharda also wrote about the ‘informal economy’ which has grown up around the FOMO brigade, how rumours are deliberately started two or three times per season suggesting that Dhoni’s last game is imminent. The result is that tickets on the informal market start selling for between three and four times their face value.

There is evidently a great deal of formal money to be made by the CSK franchise by having Dhoni around and, clearly, there is also plenty to be made informally. The question being asked, informally at the moment, is about how formal or informal the relationship is between the formal and informal money.

On Sunday, after CSK had been humiliated by their arch-rival Mumbai Indians, losing by nine wickets with 26 balls to spare, Dhoni was unequivocally calm: “We need to realise we are successful because we play good cricket, so we need not get too emotional.” Alarmingly for the supporters who are more interested in winning a sixth title than staying calm, he added: “We will take it one game at a time and look at the combinations for the next season, if we don't qualify.” Another season. Really?

A former great Proteas player said: “It takes a lot of courage to retire at the top because you might always worry whether you had one more great season in you, but it takes even more courage to carry on so far past your prime that people might not even remember how good you once were.”