IPL 2020: Can T20s give back my passion for the game?

Dubai - The Indian cricket team would not have risen in stature to become Team India if it wasn't for the efforts of the humble 11 that took the pitch at Lord's on June 25, 1983

As the 13th season of the cash-rich IPL gets underway this Saturday, cricket lovers must be pleased as punch because they have been deprived of their succour due to the drought in live sports brought on by the pandemic.
While the shorter version of the game has always been a crowd puller, we wonder if a 'true blue cricket fan' is as passionate about the T20 version.
We would agree on the entertainment value, yes the T20s provide lots of it and generates massive revenues too. Yet, I believe, that the generation that grew up during the advent of limited overs would agree that the passion for the game has somehow been sacrificed for the entertainment and commercial value it provides now.
I fondly recollect the days when there was no internet, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or satellite channels.
It was the 1983 World Cup and I clearly remember, in India, it was much after dinner when we'd tune-in to the ball-by-ball commentary on our radio. The entire family would huddle around the transistor listening to the commentary relayed on short-wave with vigour and verve. The game was not televised in our part of the world until the team had reached the semifinal stage.
Nevertheless, we'd catch all the action from the pitch that was relayed via a transistor radio. The transmission was weak and it would break off at crucial times, adding to the suspense of the game.
We would hold the radio set close to our ear for fear of losing out. However, more than the excitement on the ground, it was the sprightly voices of the legendary commentators that would keep us glued to the game. Their exciting narrative, packed with vivid descriptions, would transport us to the ground and make us feel that it was us hitting those towering sixes, not Kapil Dev.
The commentary was so descriptive and I recollect the tension of that spectacular running catch Kapil took to dismiss a dangerous-looking Viv Richards off Madan Lal. It was the stuff of legends, and all this was heard, not seen.
The highlights from the 1983 World Cup are etched in the memory of every true blue cricket fan forever. The Indian cricket team would not have risen in stature to become Team India if it wasn't for the efforts of the humble 11 that took the pitch at Lord's on June 25, 1983.
It made players like Kapil Dev, Mohinder Jimmy Amarnath legends overnight. The win changed the way cricket was followed and played in the country, inspiring youngsters to follow their example, including a young Sachin Tendulkar.
Such was the magic and influence of the team then and not to forget those unforgettable voices on the radio that ignited a passion for the game.
Fast forward to what's happening on the ground today, there seems to be a disconnect with the game.
Where has the passion gone? Watching a T20 game is akin to an OTT show or a circus with all its ingredients - colourful costumes, dance, drama, on-field squabbles and on-field athleticism.
Does the gentleman's game really have a place amongst all this 'tamasha' and acts of bravado? As the saying goes, 'Nothing great in the world was ever accomplished without passion'.
Can IPL provide that? I wonder!
 

• IPL 2019