First the Fake IPL Player... now the real IPL Girl !!!

In 2009, it was Fake IPL Player (FIP). 2011, it is the real IPL Girl. 

The irony is both of them spiced up the already glamorous event. In reality both these characters made best use of IPL and shot to fame.

To give you a little background, FIP is a blogger mushroomed in 2009 following the Knight Riders camp. He published the dressing room stories without taking names. He forced the audience to guess names leaving trails. Though his blog work was hilarious, the identity behind the labor remained mystery. Trust me; he almost drove everyone nuts, with his posts that some section of people started following IPL for the blog or vice versa. His blog work turned so popular that in Mar 2010, he went on to publish the book "The Gamechangers". The June 7, 2010 issue of India Today put the book at No. 9 in the list of Top 10 national bestsellers.

Finally, in August 2010, Bangalore based computer engineer Anupam Mukerji revealed himself to be the person behind the blog. He said he had "never met a cricketer in his life," and was just making up stories. He never expected it to become this big, he remarked, adding that the Fake Player ended up getting legitimized by the media frenzy. He was inspired by the popularity of a similar blog by Fake Steve Jobs, and the Richard Gere movie The Hoax.

Let us now shift to player of the day, the IPL Girl. Today, "The Secret Diary of IPL Cheerleader" has taken IPL fraternity by storm. Despite starting as a secret blogger similar to FIP, she could not maintain her clandestine identity. Especially when the player pleaded I AM INNOCENT, I SWEAR!

Thus the secret diary turned to be public diary for Gabriella Pasqualotto only to be sent packing to South Africa within the hour after firing. Had she not taken real names, she may not have busted and the action would have remained the center of attraction. For now, she will be missing the Mumbai Cheerleader camp, but definitely rose to fame more than her colleagues with the growing fan base every day in Twitter for the IPLGirl.

When we come across these characters, it reminds me an interesting quote from a commentator. “One day we will be running out of jobs when these cricketers quit playing”. I wonder how true it is, isn’t it?

Anupam Mukherji was blessed with witty writing skills that he could club with his vivid imaginations. Yet he needed a launching pad to hog the limelight. There are tons of cheerleaders all over the world. How did Gabriella Pasqualotto rise to stardom more than her contemporaries?

I’ve no doubts we will be witnessing more such characters in the future.

Bottom line: There is a devil inside every human being. Cricketers are no exception.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover