Howzzat!

Celebrities, stacks of cash, massive crowds, eye-candy cheerleaders with barely-there outfits, and even more celebrities… Sounds like the infamous Super Bowl, right? Wrong!

It's the much hyped Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket Series where crowd-pulling star class cricketers from all over the world are playing not for their own countries but instead for teams 'owned' by India's biggest names, from Bollywood superstars to billionaire businessmen.

In an era gone by, cricket was dominated by the Englishmen, who devised the game to spend time outside during summer. Those days are long gone (thankfully); things have changed dramatically over the decades and now cricket has become a passion in South Asian countries colonized by the British, particularly the subcontinent.

There was a lot of fuss made when limited-over cricket was first introduced many years ago, but it survived all the criticism and has now become a thriving industry. Similarly, Twenty20 cricket has the potential to broaden the audience for cricket, that is currently limited to about 15 countries. Many view the IPL as a good start and judging from the response across the cricketing world, it looks like Twenty20 is here to stay.

And now all eyes are on India. With the full backing of the International Cricket Council (ICC) the IPL series, apart from drawing unprecedented crowds in the already cricket crazy Indian subcontinent, also appears to be drawing some fierce criticism.

Chief among these are the heavy commercialization of the game and, of course, the charming cheerleaders who seem to be creating as big a buzz as the series itself.

The scantily dressed cheerleaders have caused a stir among all those involved in the game as well as several politicians with some describing them as "vulgar," "obscene" and detrimental to this largely so-called conservative nation. The police have warned of legal action against the organisers if the cheerleaders at the stadium are found performing "vulgar" or "indecent" steps or wearing "improper" outfits during the matches.

We spoke to several cricketers, sports personalities and fans for their take on this latest controversy to hit the so-called gentleman's game.

Chandrishan Perera, sports commentator: “Considering the fact that cricketers, like any other sportsmen, whose skills and muscle come with a price tag, it is not surprising that cheerleaders too are hired to add a bit of glamour to the game.

It's like a meat market. It's all about the flesh. Just like in the days of the gladiators. And what more flesh do you need than star cricketers and beautiful cheerleaders?

It’s what I call the navel syndrome. For humans it's a primal instinct to see the navel because when they are born it's a mystery to them. And who doesn't like to see the navel of a beautiful woman? I don't know why the Indians are up in arms about this when you consider how their kings had scores of women clad in similar revealing clothes throughout their history. It was the same with our kings. So I don't understand what the fuss is about."

Jehan Mubarak, Sri Lanka cricketer and sportsman:

“I don't see any problem with it. Twenty20 itself is there to entertain the public and popularise the game. These things are not seen only in cricket – there are so many other sports where cheerleaders are used.

Even at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup they used cheerleaders. They didn't make a fuss about it then. As a player I don't consider it a distraction. I actually think it's an attraction and it makes the game more appealing. People come there to have a drink, sing a few songs and basically have a good time. It's just one big package they're trying to sell.”

Malintha Warnapura, one of Sri Lanka's emerging young star cricketers:

“Cheerleading is a profession and nobody's forcing them to do it. It's nothing new. It's nothing people don't have access to elsewhere, for instance in Bollywood. And as for Twenty20 it's just three hours of cricket. It was introduced to attract more people to the game. It's an entertainment event. It's something short and it also brings in a lot of money.”

Sanjay: “When the IPL was being set-up there were lots of objections to that too. But it went ahead anyway. People just don't like change. Particularly conservative outfits like the BJP. Whenever something seems like it's going to change there's a controversy surrounding it. We also saw the same thing happen when the 50 over ODI format first came about.

I have issues with cheerleaders, stemming from the objectification of the female body and its use as an entertainment commodity, but I believe that this is not what the BJP and the others are complaining about.

As long as it's a problem of cultural appropriateness I don't think anyone should have a problem with cheerleaders. They're harmless, and placed there for entertainment. If someone comes to the ground to see the cheerleaders and not the cricket then I think they should go somewhere else. And for those people who say that their children are exposed to smut because of the cheerleaders then I think those people need to re-think what their children see on TV and in Hindi films. Most of them contain much more nudity than the cheerleaders.

Also I think it's interesting how some people (mostly from the BJP) are saying that if there are cheerleaders then they should be Indians, and not foreigners. This is just typical of how the conservatives in India want to emphasize that when a white woman takes off her clothes it's porn, but when an Indian woman does it it's entertainment or art. It's just a cultural frog-in-the-well attitude. I mean, ancient Hindu art embraces nudity so why are they worried about some scantily clad white women?”

Sanjeewa: “People need to grow up. I think this is a good concept… using cheerleaders, and I believe they should stay. Some people have said they should cover up. It's good to a certain extent, but then the whole point would be lost if they turn up in shalwars.”

Dilini: "Just put them into some skimpy gagra cholis and everyone will be happy. I find it hilarious and also a little disturbing that so many females out there who are married and know a thing or two, need to get insecure about cheerleaders who get all of 15 seconds air time during a four-hour game. But of course this is more than just frustration of the fairer sex who do little else than take part in high tea parties, it's obviously a far graver issue of 'preserving our conservative culture.' They must of course be referring to the conservative culture of Bollywood's Bipasha Basu's and Mallika Sharwat's less than innocent on-screen scenes that they all queue up to watch in droves at every movie release."

Chintha: "Not that Indians are saints but this is a public show and by using cheerleaders, they are attracting the wrong kind of people and giving a wrong message. Why do they need cheerleaders there in the first place? I don't see the need for cheerleaders. Cricket is cricket and it is fine without these cheerleaders. And as for them being improperly dressed… well, the organizers could have thought twice before bringing them there.”

Supun: “Cheerleaders may be adding a bit of spice and jazziness to this whole new concept of cricket. But nothing can beat our papare bands.” And we have to agree with him there.