UPSC Ethics Simplified: What does IPL offer beyond entertainment, glamour and money?
(Royal Challengers Bengaluru handed Punjab Kings a 6-run defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to win their first IPL trophy, as the league got a new champion in RCB. The Rajat Patidar-led RCB was one notch above another trophy-less side, PBKS, which failed to chase 191 on a tricky surface. This was the news last week from India's favorite sports tournament — cricket's IPL — synonymous with entertainment, money power, and lots of glamour. Wonder why this is relevant for UPSC aspirants?
UPSC Ethics Simplified draws attention to topics related to applied ethics, especially those making headlines. Recently, UPSC has been focusing on contemporary issues and posing ethical questions to candidates. In the past, we have examined pollution, war, sports, finance, international relations, bureaucracy, and the judiciary through the lens of ethics.
Today, Nanditesh Nilay, who writes fortnightly for UPSC Essentials, addresses a pressing question: How does the IPL reflect ethics and morality?)
World cricket has witnessed many colours since Australian entrepreneur Kerry Packer took cricket out of its white attire and made it colourful by organising the World Cricket Series. In India, the Indian Premier League (IPL), since its inception in 2007, has influenced cricket not only in terms of colours, glamour, corporate mindset, and money, but also in many other ways that have been more meaningful and have generated energy for all stakeholders. It has not been just a story of money, glitz, or colourful cricket uniforms; many aspects of this format have helped maintain the reputation of cricket and sportsmanship.
If we pay attention, we will find that the IPL has taught us all a lot. Along with that, it has influenced the human will to live through leadership skills, social and cultural unity, and the ability to achieve anything — qualities the audience was largely unaware of.
First of all, many teams proved through their performance — and consistently so — that two hundred runs can be scored in twenty overs, and that it can be chased as well. If fifty runs have to be scored in the last two overs, that too can be achieved. This format of cricket challenged the infinite potential of man to such an extent that all the teams, which until a few years ago considered a target of one hundred seventy to eighty runs safe, no longer found a target of two hundred to two hundred thirty runs to be too much. Even in the final match, the batsman scored more than twenty runs, and the difference between winning and losing was just six runs.
And yes, neither the players changed, nor the rules. The grounds were also not made smaller. Power, balance, and the passion to do anything were seen in this IPL. And the audience, too, had the confidence until the very end that any target could be achieved.
I think this certainly has to do with those team owners who carry a corporate mindset, where in less time, at minimum cost, maximum production must be achieved — and in that process, stakeholders must be kept happy.
In 1955, a model of self-awareness called the Johari Window was developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham. In this model, they discuss the various selves of a human being (open, blind, hidden), and one of these selves is the unknown self. While talking about the unknown self, they asserted that many capabilities exist within every human being, but neither the person themselves nor others are aware of them. That capability remains hidden, and the person is not even aware of it. This format of cricket helped cricketers realise those hidden potentials — and even the two hundred runs scored in just twenty overs sometimes proved to be not enough.
The second notable aspect that was evident was that the batsmen started showing the skill of those kinds of shots which are not taught at all in cricketing manuals or coaching. Everyone learned to hit shots with a straight bat, but scoring runs by batting at exactly three hundred and sixty degrees was an unprecedented sight. Be it De Villiers or our Surya Kumar Yadav, the skill of hitting shots behind the wicketkeeper was amazing. That kind of daring and skillful shot-hitting taught us that whatever and how much we know, or are seen doing, is not enough. And if a person decides to experiment daily, then what is impossible? Everything depends on his mindset, and this mindset also motivates him to learn and do something new.
A theory proposed by psychologist Carol Dweck regarding growth mindset and fixed mindset explains how people's beliefs about their abilities and intelligence affect their motivation, learning, and achievement. A fixed mindset is the belief that abilities are innate and unchangeable, while a growth mindset is the belief that a person can acquire abilities through effort and learning. The continuous cricketing shots seen in the 360-degree circle in the IPL are the result of that growth mindset. And those targets of more than two hundred were not only set but also achieved.
The third important aspect that was noticed in this IPL was that many young cricketers became captains of their teams. It was also observed that seniors from other countries, as well as from their own country, were playing in those teams. This use of leadership skills was amazing. Shreyas Iyer was the captain of three different teams and took them to the playoffs. Players like Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Rajat Patidar were in their youth, and they led a format of cricket where players from many countries were playing together in one team. Communicating with all those players, keeping the team united, bearing the pressure of the franchise amidst all kinds of challenges — and on top of that, having an immense desire to win despite not having much experience in captaincy — was remarkable.
There have been some such experiences in clubs in England, but it has not been seen in any format of cricket in any country as popular as the IPL.
Sachin Tendulkar, who inspired at least three generations to sit together and watch cricket — can we measure him only by his centuries? No. He brought us together, and we learned to share in his victories and defeats.
Do you remember the gentleman Sudhir from Bihar? For him, sports meant watching cricket, hoisting the Indian flag, and proudly displaying Tendulkar's name painted on his chest.
On 2 April 2011, Tendulkar, watching from the stadium, gestured to Sudhir (who was sitting among the cheering Indian fans) to come into the Indian dressing room and join the team's celebrations. Tendulkar shook Sudhir's hand, hugged him, and even let him hold the World Cup.
This story is about more than just cricket. It is a life lesson in humility, respect, and the ethical values that sports can cultivate in our society — especially in times of moral crisis. It is a story of gratitude, and a reminder that true greatness lies in acknowledging those who stand by you through every high and low.
This is sportsmanship. This is the magic of sports.
The same dedication, love, and camaraderie for cricket were seen in the IPL as well. The tears of winning and losing made no distinction between the IPL, Test matches, or One Day Internationals. It was unrehearsed and deeply relatable. Cricket won.
Is sports more than a game — A reflection of ethics and the human spirit? Discuss.
(The writer is the author of 'Being Good and Aaiye, Insaan Banaen', 'Ethikos: Stories Searching Happiness' and 'Kyon'. He teaches courses on and offers training in ethics, values and behaviour. He has been the expert/consultant to UPSC, SAARC countries, Civil services Academy, National Centre for Good Governance, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Competition Commission of India (CCI), etc. He has PhD in two disciplines and has been a Doctoral Fellow in Gandhian Studies from ICSSR. His second PhD is from IIT Delhi on Ethical Decision Making among Indian Bureaucrats. He writes for the UPSC Ethics Simplified (concepts and caselets) fortnightly.)
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