In need of an identity

Partisanship is not the most attractive word, but it may yet turn into the abstract noun most craved by the organisers of the IPL. They’ve got the money, they’ve got the glamour, they’ve got the players, and last night they were handed a gift-wrapped start by the bat of Brendon McCullum. But have they got the crowds? I’m not talking about numbers: the Chinnaswamy was packed. The question is whether the fans will come to cherish their local team like, say, followers of European football. Because without some degree of partisanship, sport is just another form of entertainment.

There was no doubting the passion of those who turned up. In descending order of ear-splitting decibels, the most emotional responses were reserved for: Sachin Tendulkar’s entry onto the stage in his role as captain of Mumbai Indians (surely it was no coincidence that his stroll, the longest of the eight captains, was left until last); the jeers for Sharad Pawar, proving once more that sport and politics do mix, just not always very comfortably; the brief booing of Ricky Ponting, captain – as if you need to be reminded – of those dastardly Australians; and the cheers for Brendon McCullum, who was batting for the away team.

What of the Bangalore Royal Challengers? They were well-received at the start, but that seemed to have more to do with the crowd’s impatience than a visceral attachment to the local side. The wicket of Sourav Ganguly, the first of the Kolkata Knight Riders to depart, was celebrated genuinely enough. And there was a murmur of disappointment as Rahul Dravid fell in the second over of the Challengers’ reply, followed in quick succession by most of his team-mates. But the scimitar of McCullum diluted the tribalism.

This should not necessarily be sniffed at. Cricket has always been big on applauding the opposition, and much has been made of the IPL’s tie-in with the MCC and its Spirit of Cricket. Equally, these are embryonic days for the eight franchises, who only recently made the transition from a twinkle in rich men’s eyes to actual cricketers you can see and, occasionally, touch. Other sports suggest you need decades to establish meaningful loyalty.

But it will be fascinating to see how the fans react as the tournament develops. It could be that some cities latch on to their side quicker than others. Kolkata, based in Bengal – the home of Indian football – could lead the way (the Knight Riders host the Deccan Chargers on April 20).

You just hope cities don’t take against a failing side too quickly. The pundits here in Bangalore are already suggesting that the Royal Challengers failed to gel, as if being whacked around by McCullum reflected on the leadership qualities of Dravid. But there might lie an awkward truth for the IPL. It can take years to build an identity, and one bad evening to destroy it.