County Cricket or IPL?

County Cricket or IPL?

What are the pro's?

The IPL

What are the cons?

Here is a list. I'll let you decide what one you think is better or the one which serves a better purpose.

First, the IPL. The Indian Premier League. And the pro's.

1. The games generate big crowds, some as big as 50000, where as in County Cricket a lot of grounds can pull in crowds as low as a couple of hundred people. But hats off to them loyal couple of hundred supporters!
2. Players from all nations play in the IPL, so different playing styles are on show. But in the County Championship the bulk of the players are English. Althogh this point could be seen as a good point as well as a bad point.
3. A lot of cash is generated through the IPL in sponsorship, ticket sales etc. And this puts money in the Indian economy. Although now we are getting into politics. And I don't like politics.
4. The format of the IPL is T20, and I know alot of people (I'd like to add these people I know are knob's) who prefer T20 to the 4 day form of the game. So the IPL is an ideal form of cricket for them to watch.

And now the cons for the IPL...

1. The IPL finishes just weeks before Blighty's fixtures v the West Indies and then South Africa, this will mean the English and West Indies players will have a lack of preparation going into the test. And they might have injuries and little niggles that they have picked up in India.
2. A lot of money is spent on international players in auctions. But the quality of play is not always fantastic.
3. It's shown on ITV4, nobody likes ITV4...
4. Some players are payed alot to play in the IPL. Are they just in it for the wonga?

There the reasons, I think, are the pro's and cons for the IPL. And now the list for the County Championship. Cons first.

County Championshp Action

1. The crowds can be very small, which I mentioned earlier.
2. Because the English cricket team are away on tours and playing matches in the summer. They cannot play for their county teams. So there is less quality playing for the counties.
3. The County Championship doesn't have alot of coverage on TV, so fans don't get a chance to see there team in action. But there is radio coverage and live internet updates on the cricket. So fans can keep track on how there teams are doing. But this sometimes isn't the same as seeing them on the tele.

And the pros now.

1. Players can gain pride in playing for their counties, where as in the IPL English players do not have this pride.
2. English players can work under the radar and prove themselves in these two leagues, to try and gain an England call up. A great example of this happening would be Graeme Swann. For years he was working hard for Notts and Northants, getting wickets and trying to prove he was worthy to play for Blighty. And one day, he got rewarded. This sort of thing would not happen in the IPL, only high profile English  players play in this league.
3. The County Championship is a good breeding ground for Test Cricket, which is obviously a more traditional form of cricket than T20. So don't forget, if it was not for the 4 day game, there would be no IPL.

Make up your own minds on which one you think is better.

My Views

There are good points and bad for both forms. The IPL is exciting, but then when I'm watching it I feel as if I'm cheating on English cricket because County Championship is traditional and honest. I can't choose between them. I only wish there was more TV coverage of the County Championship so I could see more County cricket. If there was TV coverage, and the County Championship and IPL were on at the same time, I would choose to watch the County action any day. But there isn't going to be more TV coverage, so chin up me.

Cheers.