The Spin has never been an advocate of tradition for its own sake, but when the likes of India Cements, Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and Deccan Chronicle go head-to-head in Mumbai tomorrow, it might allow itself an old-school shiver of what's-the-world-come-to. While England finish off a quaint 50-over international (without floodlights!) against New Zealand in Napier, the eight Indian companies who between them spent over $700m for the sponsorship rights to the eight franchises - "teams" is so 2007 - in the Indian Premier League will place their bids for the players they want to represent them.
The bidding process will be necessarily cut-throat. The companies must spend between $3m and $5m on their squads - although the star Indian players will be allocated for free to their local teams - and names will be drawn FA Cup style from a tombola. If no one bids for the name in question, another is plucked. How cruel. At least the Spin was generally spared international humiliation when it was the last to be chosen for those school playground games of football. But this is cricket's brave new world, one in which a player's allegiance is determined by the wave of a chequebook rather than notions such as nationality. As for burnout, well, what's another 44 days' intense competition when the money's this good?
It is not the intention of this column to come over all reactionary. Progress happens and cricket is changing more quickly than one or two members of the England hierarchy appear to realise. Twenty20 was a triumph in county cricket when it started in 2003 and has inevitably been taken to another level by India, who now think bigger and bolshier than every other cricket nation on a regular basis. The game itself is a brainwave of a concept that places the onus on bowlers and batsmen every single ball and crams more into less, thus pleasing spectators, administrators and advertising executives at the same time. Like it or not, it is here to stay. But what loyalty will Shane Warne have to, say, Delhi (bought by GMR Holdings for a snip at $84m) or Herschelle Gibbs to Bangalore (UB Group: $111.6m)? Take away the dollar signs and what remains?
Comparisons with Kerry Packer are inevitable, but Packer had the good sense to appeal to one of the sport's fans most fundamental instincts by ensuring two of his three teams - the Australians and West Indians - were a distinct nationality (the Rest of the World provided a magnet for all the other fans). The fortunes of the eight IPL franchises will be of interest only to Indians in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai - and possibly not even there. Non-Indians might marvel at the quality of cricket, but it will be cricket in a vacuum. The novelty factor of watching Brett Lee bowl to Matthew Hayden will be interesting for a while. But fantasy cricket is never as satisfying as the real thing, and the sight of players competing for prime position in next February's transfer window (oh yes) is of limited appeal.
Of course, no one should begrudge the players their chance to cash in (although it seems harsh that Shane Bond's international career should be ruined because he happens to have signed for the rebel Indian Cricket League rather than the IPL). But playing purely for money can never be as satisfying as the innate tribalism that derives from representing your country. IPL cricket will be slick, glitzy, glamorous ... and hollow.
And what of Test cricket, the format most valued by the players and a decent proportion of the fans? It is nice to think it will be always be there - and, the Spin hopes, not too naive. But there is more than a distinct feeling of the wedge's thin end about the IPL. According to Andrew Wildblood, the senior vice-president of IMG, who helped IPL with what it calls its "global Franchise Invitation to Tender" (oh, the upper-case!): "The only regret is that some bidders were unsuccessful, we hope they will bid again when expansion Franchises are offered."
Expansion? There is already talk of clearing an annual six-week window on the international calendar to allow players to roll around in bathfuls of cash ... sorry, take on the world's best in "high octane on-field action" to produce "adrenalin packed LIVE family entertainment" (the words of the IPL's own website). So when TV ratings go through the roof as everyone checks out the newest kid on cricket's block, expect calls for the window to grow. Or even for angry mobs to walk through the streets of Mumbai demanding "expansion Franchises". How long cricket can sustain this new and admittedly beguiling form of pay-per-play is another matter.
· Extract taken from the Spin, theguardian.com's weekly take on the world of cricket
