The novelty of supporting a national team, after the IPL bonanza where fans mostly supported individuals, as even city or team based loyalty is a concept not very suited to the hero-worshipping Indian ethos, may represent a bit of fresh air and spark a renewed appetite, but still the scheduling of the tournament back-to-back with the IPL just indicates how cramped and over-scheduled the international cricket calendar has become.

Thankfully the ICC has learnt some lessons from the disaster that was the 2007 World Cup, and each edition of the T20 World Cup (we’ve already staged three of these) since that time has ensured that the chance of a top team being eliminated is slim, though Australia did manage to still get eliminated last time. 

The addition of Afghanistan to the mix is truly a success story that deserves a lot of praise.  For a country still at war, and which has been at war, either officially or unofficially, for the last 30 years, this is indeed an impressive achievement.  India should definitely take Afghanistan under its wing, and maybe invite them to participate in next season’s Duleep Trophy to get exposure to the first class game as well.

In the end the victor of the tournament can be any of half a dozen teams, and the team that has both the skills and the luck going will ultimately emerge the champions.  Personally, I think that world cricket would be best served if somehow the West Indies managed to win this tournament, but the head says it will be one of India, Pakistan, Australia or South Africa that actually wins it.  In any case not too much must be read into who wins the championship, but if perchance India do win it, it may lead to a re-doubling of the national craze for this fast-food version of the game.  One shudders to think what that means in light of the scandals and politics that already have engulfed the IPL

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