Yes, I am a neutral IPL fan.
It simply means that I don't root for any club. I don't swear allegiance to any IPL franchise. I used to tell myself that I like Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), because I am from Delhi. But, over time I realized that I didn't really root for them.
Cricket has traditionally been a inter-country sport. It has been very different from football, where fans have die hard allegiance to clubs and players' identities are primarily linked to their clubs. The idea of loyalty to clubs or franchise, is relatively new to cricket. How did people, then, become die hard fans of CSK, or Brisbane Heats? Well, as far as my understanding of cricket goes, its for two reasons : Either they are from the geography of the club or that their favourite cricketer plays from that club. Most MS Dhoni fans over the country would testify to that.
That's exactly the reason why I don't find myself rooting for a club. I am amazed by a lot of players. Now picture this - I am a fan of Virat Kohli's consistency and aggression, and I am fan of Rohit Sharma's elegance. In a game between RCB and MI, how can I root for one of them? It's not that simple also. I love Shubman Gill's promise, Warner's bludgeoning shots, Iyer's controlled madness, Bumrah's deadly yorkers, Buttler's innovative cameos, ABD's 360 degree fireworks, Dhoni's lightening stumpings, and KL Rahul's poise.
Doesn't that spread my loyalty all over the entire IPL- like butter over bread. How difficult does it become to chose one! Welcome to neutral fan club.
Well, there's another reason why a neutral IPL fan stands to enjoy the game. How often do you find yourself wanting to get a player out when he is playing an innings of his lifetime, but against your favourite team. What you are wishing for - is basically to end a magic just because it's not helping your team. Well it turns out, a neutral fan can enjoy 40 overs of batting, and 40 overs of bowling in a T20 game. Exactly double of a loyal cricket fan who can only love 20 overs of batting and 20 overs of bowling. Even a marketing campaign analyst would tell you its a better return on investment!
The best way to know if you indeed are a neutral cricket fan is to watch a nail biting thriller and check if you find yourself favouring one side! Well, that's one way. The other is to not feel something amiss if one team wins the game. Easier said than done, right? I know. But in case your favourite cricketers are straddling across all IPL franchises, you won't find it that difficult.
Go Delhi Capitals! Err, I mean go IPL!
