The Curious Case of the IPL Trophy

It shows a batsman making a stroke which does not exist in the books, but the organisers think that is okay.

Last May, Open pointed out a flaw in the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy.  The trophy shows a right-handed batsman driving off the back foot, but with his hands in the wrong position. His left hand is the bottom hand instead of the right.

The trophy is not pretty. A batsman’s figure, a map of India and a wooden plaque have been slapped together. Throw in the wrong positioning of the hands and it becomes a joke.

No one seems concerned. The third IPL will commence in a month. The mistake, however, has not been rectified. This is in spite of Open pointing it out to Vijay Jain, CEO of Orra, the jewellers who designed the trophy. Sources say that Lalit Modi, IPL chairman, was likely to regard the issue as ‘minor’.

It is not. The trophy is an important aspect of a prominent sports event. The lasting image of any tournament is that of the winning team holding up the cup. As a result, a trophy has to be at least free of mistakes. Lalit Modi should recognise that a wrong depiction of a stroke in a country that prides itself on its cricket knowledge exposes it, and the IPL, to ridicule.

It is galling that few commentators have the guts to point out the flaw in the IPL trophy on air. On the contrary, they praise it. Cricket people love money. They will not do anything to jeopardise their place in the game’s most lucrative tournament. But by keeping quiet, they are letting the joke go on. Somewhere, another White man from the ECB or Cricket Australia laughs.

The trophy reflects the ostentation, but lack of grace, that characterises Indian cricket. It has 2,554 diamonds. It has gold. Fourteen artisans worked over it. The end result, though, is amusing. That the innovative batsman portrayed in the trophy keeps going strong also shows the reluctance of the organisers to acknowledge a mistake.

Memorable trophies add to the appeal of a tournament. The Fifa World Cup trophy, designed by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, is a true work of art admired by regular fans, presidents and football legends alike. Olympic medals, though smaller in size, are always elegantly designed, featuring historical and Olympian elements. There is no sports fan immune to the beauty of the Claret Jug, awarded to the winner of the British Open golf championship.

On the other hand, there are some trophies that become the laughing stock of the sport. The Ashes urn, despite its history, gets sniggered at. It is just too small. And unlike in Seinfeld, its size can’t be attributed to the ‘shrinkage factor’. The Border-Gavaskar trophy is less trophy, more puzzle. Vishy Anand and Vladimir Topalov wouldn’t be able to solve it. But none of these are in the same dubious class as the IPL trophy.

If Lalit Modi is a proud man, he needs to get it righted in double quick, T20 time.

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