Indian Premier League challengers were back home by the time Sydney Sixers and Highveld Lions met on Sunday in the final of the Champions League cricket in Johannesburg. The nature of T20 cricket is such that consistency is a very hard quality to attain, but it did seem the IPL teams were quite blasé about it all and their early exits owed to a distinct lack of application in adapting to early season pitch conditions in South Africa.
Three of four teams that got to the knockout stages were low-budget domestic cricket sides which, unlike in the IPL or the Big Bash in Australia, rarely employ millionaire superstars. They seemed to be more cohesive units willing to throw themselves into the heart of the game, particularly in bowling and fielding, while the four Indian teams showed very little spirit in the field.
The attitude of Indian teams to matches played in tougher environments leaves a lot to be desired. It is their disinclination to try harder to overcome the odds that has led to a valuable cricket property like the Champions League, with a billion-dollar television rights contract, languishing from lack of interest in the country.
IPL teams have done well in the past, as in Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians winning the event in the last two years. But lately Indian cricket has been on a steep decline and unless those involved in its administration take note of recent happenings and take corrective steps at once, the slide may continue.