Just not cricket

Indian Premier League cricket is turning out to be the most potent threat to any worldwide movement to save our planet from extinction. It is particularly unfortunate the much-promoted Earth Hour happened to fall slap-bang in the middle of two nail-biting IPL fixtures this week. Instead of this ‘green' international event prompting a dip in power consumption during the season , significant IPL-induced surges are occurring every evening between 5 pm and midnight instead. Far from coaxing youngsters to be more mindful of the Earth, this fast-format cricket is drawing them in hordes to stadia to watch matches under thousands of kilowatts of lights, and tempting millions more who cannot watch it live, to switch on their television sets and their air conditioners too. The glare of the floodlights and the din of the fans make carbon footprints and other concerns seem like irritating killjoys to the me-now generation.

Just the thousands of litres of fossil fuel that is spent by enthusiasts alone, surely makes IPL one of the most destructive and wanton recreation activities in the world. Had it been available, data correlating these fixtures to the increased sale of packaged food and drink — and the resultant piles of trash and garbage — would set off many alarm bells as well. Even if the matches do draw youngsters away from their computers and out of their houses, the only thing ‘green' about the IPL matches are the water-guzzling grounds on which they are played. The IPL must be forced to think about modifications, in the interests of the Earth at least if not the game itself.