Match Point
Eight reasons why the IPL is popular in Pakistan

Eight reasons why the IPL is popular in Pakistan

Chris Gayle, the Bollywood-connection, retired yet familiar cricketers and young blood make the IPL worth watching!

Behram Qazi April 26, 2013

The first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off in April 2008 and took the world by storm. Cricket fans from all over the globe enjoyed this T20 spectacle as Shane Warne led a spirited Rajasthan Royals side to an unexpected victory. The best part about it, from a Pakistan perspective, was that the leading wicket taker of the inaugural tournament was a left-arm Pakistani swing bowler Sohail Tanvir.

Since then, the IPL has become an annual cricket festival that is followed thoroughly by cricket lovers. The sad part though, is that Pakistani players have not appeared in an IPL fixture since the final of the first edition due to the Indo-Pak tension resulting from the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

However, these series of events did not stop the Pakistani public from watching their favourite sport, as majority of them still adamantly follow this T20 fiesta.

Here are the eight reasons why the IPL is still very popular in Pakistan:

1. Chris Gayle:

The cricket world has seen many big hitters but never has it seen one that can perform so consistently. Christopher Gayle stands tall and sends the cricket ball to all parts of the ground. It seems as if he swats the ball with a minimum effort and boy does he hit it far. The Jamaican can not only pummel the opposition bowlers, but can also show off a dance move or two in the cricket field while he is at it!

2. The Bollywood connection:

What makes the IPL more interesting is the fact that three of the nine participating teams are owned by Bollywood superstars. Famous actresses Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta are the respective owners of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, while the Kolkata Knight Riders are owned by the Subcontinent’s sweetheart, Shahrukh Khan. Pakistan has a massive Bollywood fan base and the masses love to watch their favourite movie stars mingle with the world of cricket.

3. Retired cricketers:

A number of retired cricket heroes still play competitive cricket in the IPL, including the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Rahul Dravid and Muttiah Muralitharan. Cricket fans cherish the sight of their icons playing in the top flight, and the IPL provides just that!

4. Young talent:

The rules of IPL state that at least two players in each team should be under the age of 22. Pakistani cricket lovers enjoy watching and comparing young Indian talent across the border to their own budding stars. Moreover, they are eager to find out whether the men in blue have another potential Tendulkar within their ranks.

5. The Pakistani representation:

Pakistani players might not be permitted to compete in the IPL, but a number of Pakistani’s are a part of the mix. Renowned Pakistani umpires Aleem Dar and Asad Rauf officiate in several games, while the voice of commentator Rameez Raja is frequently heard. To top it off, Pakistani bowling legends Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed have all served as bowling consultants for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils respectively.

6. The British Pakistani representation:

It is amazing what a different coloured passport can do for you in today’s world. Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has sneaked his way through into the Kings XI Punjab line-up by virtue of his British citizenship. Azhar is a T20 specialist and has won his team some very crucial games in the fifth edition of the IPL. It takes a great amount of pleasing in order to become a hero for the fans back home and Azhar has done exactly that.

7. The cheerleaders:

What is T20 cricket without music, dance and fireworks? Each time a batsman scores a boundary or a bowler grabs a wicket, the stadium goes berserk as the fans celebrate by chanting and enjoying the dances performed by the cheer-leading squad. Each franchise has its own different set of cheerleaders that entertain the crowd throughout the 40 overs played. Beautiful women and nail biting cricket is not a bad combination at all!

8. Love for the sport:

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the passion Pakistani’s possess for the game of cricket. That, along with the general buzz and excitement that revolves around T20 cricket makes the IPL a perfect after work activity for the common Pakistani.

Follow Behram on Twitter @Behram 22

Correction: This blog earlier stated that Sachin Tendulkar has retired. The error has been rectified.

WRITTEN BY:
Behram Qazi The author is a Management Engineering graduate from the University of Waterloo. Patriotic Pakistani, devoted sports fanatic and part-time sports analyst on PTV World. He tweets as @Behram22 (https://twitter.com/Behram22)

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (57)

Kevin | 10 years ago | Reply @Naveen: If you feel so bad then start doing something and stop criticizing the sport. Don't feel like watching then there are 200 other channels to entertain yourself.

payday loans | 10 years ago | Reply its fully the game of money .the bookeys will fix the match .this ways the ipl will destroy the all 20,20 cricket .

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Adnan | 10 years ago | Reply Number 7 should've been number 1. Apart from the first edition, its the only reason I've watched the bits and pieces of the other editions.

indopakistani | 10 years ago | Reply indians and pakistanis started fighting and abusing. two cursed race...duh! -indo pakistani

Philip | 10 years ago | Reply @Rashid: They are there for the money.

Another Pakistani | 10 years ago | Reply @Sure....the same sports channel also broadcasts India vs Aus test and One Day matches that also doesnt have much of a cricket following in Pakistan. Probably they buy the rights at good rates to keep their channel running

RP | 10 years ago | Reply @BILAL: Yeah very intelligent and original reply - NOT.

Anish | 10 years ago | Reply @Anoop.. Very good response to these convenient socialists of Milind like people.. I dread for the fact that these people should not get majority otherwise these people will push India back to Socialist era and then everything related to poverty will be celebrated ( remember the songs 'Zopadpatti zindabad... oochi haveli murdabad'. These people will preach saying being poor is good.. we are poor country .. we should not do that and we should not do this.. These people want India to be poor forever so that they will thrive.. irony is those who has mouthful and benefited from India's boom are not tolerating generating jobs so that others also gets benefitted.. these leftist wants their ideological India where everybody should be poor .. The gap between poorest man in america and bill Gates is increased .. that does not mean have nots are increased.. Capitalisum is the only wayo to lift country out of poverty. Milind kind people does not have viable alternatives.. these people do not talk about generating jobs .. they just talk about charity.. talk about distributing money.. but when you ask these how you will generate money to do charity. .they keep quiet. Agian you have very good skill of putting your thoughts rightly..

Anoop | 10 years ago | Reply @Milind: "This is an oft-repeated explanation about how IPL generates revenues/jobs etc.. Perhaps it does – for the already well-paid cricketers. " Why do people want to comment on things you don't really understand, is what I don't really understand. Lets see now. IPL generates a lot of ad revenue. When companies place an ad, say Pepsi, they want to see how much exposure they get and that work is done by a company(which I won't name but where a friend is working). They process the images and give an estimate bla bla bla. Basically it means a job was created for my friend. And, revenue for that organization. To process those images you require hundreds of people and at the end India benefits. This is just one aspect of it. "As I said, IPL is NOT about cricket, it is a corruption – all about glamour and money. " How did you know? If you have such clinching evidence of corruption why don't you present it to the authorities? I'll take a wild guess and say you DON"T have any such evidence and are presenting hearsay as fact.. If you did, you'd have already done that, isn't it. I love glamour, money, economy and cricket. You CAN"T speak for me and the millions who watch it, can you. Did I vote for you? Did I elect you to represent me? How can you take such liberties? "Are you saying we did not enjoy cricket before IPL or our parents did not enjoy test matches. " Are you saying we cannot live without a TV, our parents did. There is no need for a TV. Why don't you throw it out. Your argument can be applied to many things. Think, please, for God sakes before you make sweeping comments. "Additionally this excess focus on cricket results in neglect of other sports" So? How is that the fault of IPL? If the people are not interested in other sports and want to watch IPL, who are you to say it should be denied to them? "Alcohol has invaded the middle-class homes and is casual occurence, compare to my childhood 25 years back when most were teetotallers." Alcohol has been in our society since long. IPL didn't cause it. Substances which induce such pleasure have been used in the Indian society since long. None of the arguments you presented are correct or makes sense.

Milind | 10 years ago | Reply @Gp65 & Anoop - This is an oft-repeated explanation about how IPL generates revenues/jobs etc.. Perhaps it does - for the already well-paid cricketers. I have yet to see jobs being generated on a mass scale. As I said, IPL is NOT about cricket, it is a corruption - all about glamour and money. The only folks making money are politicos, industrialists and the betting mafia. I am not against enjoyment per se. My concern is the materialism that has been let loose. The middle-class is becoming callous, ignorant and self-absorbed. Are you saying we did not enjoy cricket before IPL or our parents did not enjoy test matches. Additionally this excess focus on cricket results in neglect of other sports (hockey being a prime example). Alcohol has invaded the middle-class homes and is casual occurence, compare to my childhood 25 years back when most were teetotallers. @Shridhar - Are you saying we should resort to unbridled capitalism just because the Soviet style model failed us? Both are extremes. Controlled capitalism should be the answer. This means a vibrant stock market to raise money, investment in healthcare, private sector, ownership, enterpreneurship should be encouraged. Unfortunately our market is under-regulated and rigged, retail investors are out, healthcare is a cartel and getting expensive, opening a new business is a nightmare (compare it with Dubai), we're on the verge of ecocide in most cities. Agreed we don't want to go back to the days of paucity, but aping the American super-bowl or European football is not going to help bridge the gap between the haves and every increasing have-nots..

Brandsynario | 10 years ago | Reply Pakistan always want good relations with India and IPL is a great platform which can connect the both countries but due to few reasons Pakistani Players aren't allowed to play IPL if they would this would increase much interests in Pakistani people also to enjoy the IPL.

Rajesh Patil | 10 years ago | Reply Hi I am from India and m supporting that Pakistani player also be part of IPL.... This will make good relation beetween 2 nations....

Anoop | 10 years ago | Reply @Sajid: "Perhaps the revenue used to build stadiums could have been better used to build schools, hospitals." Considering those very stadiums built on Government money, as you claim, is generating Crores and crores of Rupees in revenue, I am sure that money is being used to build schools, hospitals, roads, etc. The Government invested in it, it is reaping the rewards. If you look at that way, it is Pakistan Govt which has wasted its money, as no International team has toured Pakistan since ages. Even Bangladesh refuses to tour. "If the IPL were sincere/serious in involving Pakistan (either players or teams) it would have happened." How can you force a company(after all the 9 teams are 9 companies) to hire a prospective employee? So, do you hold it against a company after they interview you and refuse to appoint you? No! Then, why are you grouse that the said companies rejected Pakistani players? BCCI and IPL did their best and allowed Pakistani players in the auction. Too bad the teams didn't want to buy them. They can't force them to buy Pakistani players! Besides, as many esteemed Pakistanis have rightly pointed out, IPL is corrupt and bad for players; hence, its good for Pakistani players to not participate in IPL. Also, remember playing in India is a privilege for non-Indians, but a right for Indians. After all its INDIAN premier league.

Sure? | 10 years ago | Reply @Another Pakistani: It maybe he case that you do not enjoy IPL but if it wasn't popular in Pakistan why wold Pakistani channels broadcast it?

Gp65 | 10 years ago | Reply ET please allow response to a question directed to me. @Sajid: The government infrastructure to build cricket grounds and the cquestioned old have been questioned but this is something that has been done for decades and is a sunk cost. No incremental government investment is involved to facilitate IPL.

indian | 10 years ago | Reply to watch IPL there is no electricity in pakistan....hence i think its not famous :)

maung | 10 years ago | Reply @Water Bottle: as a Pakistani,it is sad but the truth is we have lost our self respect in your eyes because there are Pakistani's like MUSHTAQ,AZHAR<WAQAR DAR<RAUF and a few more.They sod our self respect for a very few bucks though we gave them respect,love and support but alas they fell prey to their lust.

Sridhar | 10 years ago | Reply People who think IPL is vulgar and should be banned need to think how India messed up its economy since independence by not encouraging private enterprise (IPL is a private enterprise, totally commercial) in the hope that State will do all good (Soviet style!) and citizens had to just trust the state. Instead of creating wealth, India distributed poverty. Only in the past 10 years or so, India is steering on to the right course of creating wealth by allowing enterprising people to thrive and be innovative. IPL was the brain child of Modi who has since been thrown out but nobody can argue that IPL has the winner in mixing sports with bollywood and making it entertaining along the way. India's poverty will go as regions become decentralized, people become more educated and empowered. This is gradually happening throught ballot, media etc. Do not kill a good thing just because you do not like it.

Baba Ji | 10 years ago | Reply Amateurish piece ... there is ONLY one reason and that is "satta" !!!!

Sajid | 10 years ago | Reply @ Gp65 "Even if IPL caters to an elite audience where is the harm? It does not divert government revenue that should be directed towards social causes such as education and health." . Was it not government funding that helped establish cricketing infrastructure and nurture cricketing talent on which the IPL is now growing. Perhaps the revenue used to build stadiums could have been better used to build schools, hospitals. . @ Anoop . The Champions League, another Indian entity, openly invited not just Pakistani players but a Pakistani team, and this team participated (to the best of its ability) with the blessings of PCB. If the IPL were sincere/serious in involving Pakistan (either players or teams) it would have happened.

Azeez | 10 years ago | Reply @Another Pakistani: I am sorry dear no medicine invented for jeolousy.

Gp65 | 10 years ago | Reply @Milind, Naveen, Water bottle Even if IPL caters to an elite audience where is the harm? It does not divert government revenue that should be directed towards social causes such as education and health. in fact by generating hundreds of chores of taxes, it actually supplements government revenue and hence capacity to invest in the social sector.of course if you do not enjoy it, you should not watch but why shut down a moneymaking enterprise that provides entertainment to millions ( not just elites), generates 100s of crores in taxes, adds to India's soft power (just as Bollywood does) @Reddy: I have seen many posts from water bottle and he / she is indeed Indian. One can disagree with this person's opinion (I do in this particular case) but casting personal aspersions is not necessary. Ideas should be debated with ideas.

Azeez | 10 years ago | Reply @Anoop: naveen ,water bottle and milind are pakistanis

Azeez | 10 years ago | Reply @Anoop: don't waste your time. They (water bottle and milind) are pakistanis.

Azeez | 10 years ago | Reply @Water Bottle: now I understood you r a pakistani .

Tribune Reader | 10 years ago | Reply Boring.

Anoop | 10 years ago | Reply @Rashid: "Fine if new Pakistani players were not bought by franchies than what about already affliated players? " There were none, as far as I can remember.. Every 3 years all players are released, each team can retain 3. No team retained any Pakistanis. Hence, no players were affiliated, ergo no disrespect done..

Behram Qazi | 10 years ago | Reply @MJ: I apologize for earlier. Didn't understand your feedback earlier and now that you have pointed it out, your argument is valid. @Raj Kafir: Sorry for not specifying Sachin's retirement from 'limited overs' cricket. Thought that was understood. Also, this piece is about the IPL. Gayle's popularity in Pakistan can never supersede that of Afridi's. However, he enjoys a massive fan base

Made in Pakistan | 10 years ago | Reply Why Pakistan is not part of IPL -- Poor diplomacy at part of Pakistan -- India refused to tour Pakistan after Mumbai Attacks citing genuine security reason. -- Pakistan as a tit-for-tat refused to send its players to IPL, citing the same reason in 2009. Is IPL really being watched / followed by masses in Pakistan? I seriously don’t think that IPL is popular in Pakistan, havent watched or seen any follower in my circles since the first edition. Also, I can bet more people watch Barclays Premier League in this country than IPL. Should our Cricket Heroes / Governement / Media should be part of IPL: This is the saddest part that even being sidelined our sports TV channels are telecasting the matches live while news channels are covering thoroughly. Since we were who refused to send our players in India now we need to make a point by boycotting. I wonder why Ramesh Raja, Waseem Vikram, Shiri Asad Rauf and last but not least Mr. Umpire (Aleem Dar) are part of it. I learned somewhere even Ramesh Raja is planning to shift in India as he feels no future in Pakistan for his generations. Lesson learnt: Take the example of Japan - Organize yourself, dont put your nose in others activities. Just rebuild yourself. No aggression, just progression. You will lead the world in all the avenues if your economies are strong as no war can be won without strong economy in this age.

MJ | 10 years ago | Reply @Behram: You wrote about why IPL is popular in Pakistan and I pointed out that one of the reason is because the format was invented in Karachi and has a lot of fans of the shortened game in that city. Why get defensive?

Raj Kafir | 10 years ago | Reply Sachin Tendulkar is not retired as yet. Author please do the research before writing the blog. And since when Chris Gayle has replaced Lala Afridi? May be couple of days ago.

Behram Qazi | 10 years ago | Reply @Water Bottle: Watching cricket does not have anything to do with self-respect. Don’t mix politics with sport. IPL is pure entertainment, and that’s what it should be. Lastly, the purpose of this article most definitely did not concern problems in Bangalore or India’s progress as a nation. @Rashid: There are plenty out there who would disagree with you. Also, I think boycotting the tournament will only hurt our very own Geo Super. However, you are most definitely entitled to your opinion. @Anoop: I never used to word ‘BANNED’. Indo-Pak tension started as a result of the Mumbai attacks, what happened after is not the point of my piece. @MJ: Not a blog about T20 cricket or its origin. I am open to criticism and urge everyone to have their own opinion. Similarly, my opinion is to leave all hatred behind and enjoy the fast paced format.

Svlw | 10 years ago | Reply You should have restricted it to 4 reasons. Some are far fetched

Another Pakistani | 10 years ago | Reply I seriously don't think that IPL is popular in Pakistan, havent watched it since the first edition. Also, I can bet more people watch Barclays Premier League in this country than IPL

MJ | 10 years ago | Reply Another reason that the author failed to mention is that this T20 or one of the shortest format of the games so far was invented in Karachi/Pakistan. I remember in the 70's and 80's their were dozens of tournaments every year where different teams competed against each other in mostly flood lights at night.

Reddy | 10 years ago | Reply @Water Bottle: for a person who don't watch IPL knows much more about RC than the team itself...i still wanna know where exactly you put up in banglore,do google on it ,then i make you feel sorry for presenting yourself as an indian.....are you ashamed, being a pakistani...

Anoop | 10 years ago | Reply @Milind: @Naveen: IPL is organized by a private entity, under the auspicious of the ICC. It pays crores in tax and generates thousands of jobs and not to forget a barrage of revenue for India. Who on Earth are you to ask for it to shut down? Are you the lords who decide what your fellow Indians should watch or shouldn't watch? How can you speak for the rest of the country? So, do you think crores of Rupees being generated by IPL is not alleviating poverty and generating jobs? Do you want India to ban whatever YOU don't like? Tomorrow if you decide people should stop wearing trousers and start wearing traditional dhotis, should we oblige? If Mumbai doesn't have water let it play in other cities. If you don't like IPL, turn the TV off. Don't impose your sad, regressive ideology, which even targets revenue generating enterprises. If we follow your line of thought, most of the IT companies would shut shop and if you people had your way, we'd go back to the era of License Raj.

Kailash Sethy | 10 years ago | Reply Before reading this article, i was always for ban on pakistan cricketers(indians know why) but After reading this, I feel sorry for this. I wish Pakistan can keep religion out of cricket and we will be happy to welcome back in India. Insaah human being

Rasal | 10 years ago | Reply Last IPL match I watched was back in 2009 when Mohammad Asif was playing for DD. I do not know from where it is popular in Pak where there is no electricity to watch a match. In my opinion, it is not so much popular in Pakistan.

Advisor | 10 years ago | Reply I totally disagree with author on my personal view. Only 8th reason is valid rest 7 are incorrect

Rashid | 10 years ago | Reply @Anoop: Fine if new Pakistani players were not bought by franchies than what about already affliated players? Why were they not allowed to play? Moreover, any T20 team in the world at any time will play players like Ajmal, Afridi, Gul and Razaq.

Water Bottle | 10 years ago | Reply @Milind: "A few days back we witnessed an outrage as water was ferried for the IPL matches near Pune, completely disregarding the fact that a part of Maharashtra reels under a severe drought since 1972." It's shocking to know this. However very understandable. What can you expect in a country which is fast becoming the third world country from being a first world country in 1947?!! Yes, India was indeed a first world country in 1947, morally. Today it is rife with unbelievable wretchedness.

Water Bottle | 10 years ago | Reply @Naveen: Mmmm. Which program was that? I would like to watch. And it is sickening to read such things. IPL is indeed elitist and extremely corrupt. The only other sport event that I hate more is the WWF, followed by F1 (which is even more elitist). But, I simply fail to understand the way the young Indians have taken to IPL. Do they not see the whole picture of IPL or they just don't care because in their shallow life there's too much space to be filled with filth? Maybe someone like Anoop can answer who tends to think that Gayle loves his city Bangalore. If Gayle played for Kabul, he would say he loved Kabul. He can't expect money to come his way by saying I hate the city of Bangalore, which has crumbling infrastructure, stinking slums, heaps of filthy garbage at the corner of every small street, drying up lakes, increasing crime, unbearable pollution and not to mention the arrogance of the people of the city who believe they are somehow superior on account of being born in a dumpster. In case you are wondering, I am from the same dumpster - Bengaluru!! Also, it's unfortunate how these naive people call the team as theirs, when the team is owned by a rich/corrupt businessman who has made his money by selling liquor and naked women and shamefully only two players of the city are a part of the team and even more shamefully, even they wouldn't mind switching their loyalty to a different team for better money!!!

Savi | 10 years ago | Reply People who has problem that this is Indian Stuff they should also consider that Cinemas In pakistan shows Bollywood movies all the year, and pakistani follows Indian movies,music etc. and T.V shows Indian Shows which is followed by Big no. of Pakistani Viewers. And that has become a part of pakistanis lives big time. I hope next year in fresh auctions when all players will be auctioned again, some pakistanis will also included in IPL.

Muhammad Ali | 10 years ago | Reply When I saw the title of this article, I was like, who cares of IPL now, Still think the same after reading it...... BPL is more interesting than that........

Naveen | 10 years ago | Reply @Milind: It is sad indeed that this year's dreadful drought in Vidarbha got so little attention by the big city focussed Indian media. I was shocked when I read a couple of news items by P. Sainath about Water Theme Parks being run right next to villages where people didn't have enough to quench their thirst, let alone those of the cattles & agri fields. We have indeed become the Nero's Guests. As for match fixing in IPL, with so much money & bigwigs involved, that seems like a done deal to me.

Milind | 10 years ago | Reply @Waterbottle & Naveen - In agreement with you. I am one of those Indians who feel this IPL caters for the elitist crowd. its more about money rather than the game. A few days back we witnessed an outrage as water was ferried for the IPL matches near Pune, completely disregarding the fact that a part of Maharashtra reels under a severe drought since 1972. I suspect most matches are fixed and the betting syndicate rules the roost, especially since Sharad Pawar (the most corrupt one here) is at the top of this whole thing. Net-net : thumbs down to IPL.

heera | 10 years ago | Reply Sorry to say this, your army establishment dont want better relation b/w the two country.Success of India-pak series was set back for them.They thought Pakistani players would be stone pelted by Indian spectator,stadium would remain empty.But what happened was just ULTA of their imagination.Pakistani players were well accepted and stadium was jam packed.They feared ,better relationship b/w India and Pakistan put Kashmir issue on back burner .They keep intruding intruders in the valley which led to exchange of cross border firing and rest is history.

BILAL | 10 years ago | Reply @Anoop Get a life man, look like you dont know anything about cricket.

Naveen | 10 years ago | Reply @Asjad: Let alone Pakistan, I would like it to be banned even here in India. To me (and a good many Indians), IPL is a vulgar show of Wealth and all kinds of 'Royals' & 'Kings' in a country that is yet to win its battle against poverty, affordable healthcare, education, sanitation and decent Public Infrastructure. Its popularity shows how indifferent we all are to all the misery that surrounds us in 'real' society. Also, given the large sums of money involved, It distorts the priorities of Players away from National team.

Anoop | 10 years ago | Reply "Pakistani players have not appeared in an IPL fixture since the final of the first edition due to the Indo-Pak tension resulting from the 2008 Mumbai attacks." Incorrect. 1) India refused to tour Pakistan after Mumbai Attacks citing genuine security reason. 2) Pakistan as a tit-for-tat refused to send it players to IPL, citing the same reason in 2009. 3) IPL shifted to South Africa. Egg-on-face. Pakistani players were not considered. 4) 3 IPLs ago, Pakistani players were considered for Auctions, but no Pakistani player was considered by any team. Hence, there is NO BAN on Pakistani players in IPL. But, a de-facto ban, as no team wants to play them. Now, there are hardly any slots for Pakistani players to come in. Had Pakistan tried not to "teach India a lesson" by not not sending its players to IPL in 2009, Pakistani players would be still playing in IPL. Who knows Asif and Amir would not have taken that money and humiliated their country. India canceled the tour because of proper security concerns, Pakistan did it to for no real reason but to spite India.

Temur | 10 years ago | Reply Reason number 2 should keep you away from IPL. I really feel sorry for those guys who watch IPL because of these beauties?

Water Bottle | 10 years ago | Reply @Rashid: "This is the saddest part that even being sidelined our sports TV channels are telecasting the matches live while news channels are covering thoroughly. We need to make a point by boycotting." It's not hard to find out answers Rashid. Why would Pakistanis watch IPL despite the humiliations? Ask yourself, why would any human being take abuse and still admire the person hurling abuses? Because that person lacks self respect. So, you take a guess why an entire nation of 180 million suffer humiliation and yet watch IPL? The entire Pakistan lacks self respect. I don't see any other reasonable explanation. Do you?

Asjad | 10 years ago | Reply Asad Rauf was never arrested if my memory serves me right.. As far as watching the IPL goes...I am a keen and astute, I love the game of Cricket. Be it Bangladesh v Zim i can watch it when and learn something about the game. IPL is entertainment which I can get when my mom watches Fatima Gul mera Qasor kiya and I can avoid Right wing political shows:)

Rashid | 10 years ago | Reply This is the saddest part that even being sidelined our sports TV channels are telecasting the matches live while news channels are covering thoroughly. We need to make a point by boycotting. I wonder why Ramiz Raja, Asad Rauf and Aleem Dar are part of it.

Water Bottle | 10 years ago | Reply As I don't watch IPL, I am shocked to find out that Asad Rauf is still a part of IPL. He must have been arrested after the complaint given by that woman. How is he still visiting India without being arrested?! Or is the case dropped?

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