How IPL is planning to pick two teams for two years?

And, as we speak, IPL is back in the news!

Transparency is what IPL will be focussing on

Enough of all the recent news bits like Bihar elections, Beef ban, award-wapasi, it's time for some CEC (Cricket, Entertainment and Controversy). You simply can't keep IPL out of mainstream news, can you? Amidst all the brouhaha, IPL was quietly cleaning up the mess that was self-created. It was quiet since cleaning up is not part of the agenda of mainstream news. Heads turned in the BCCI fold due to the new governance structure put in place. Roger Binny stepped down because his presence can jeopardize (or improve, whichever way you look at it) the career of his son Stuart Binny. Anil Kumble stepped down as he is still part of Mumbai Indians franchisee. Saurav Ganguly took his place. 

But what about the two banned teams - CSK and RR? And their players?

BCCI are adamant to have an eight team IPL for the next two years since their original IPL concept proposal was budgeted based on at least 8 teams. Lesser number of teams will mean less revenue in BCCI coffers and ever lesser amount as revenue for IPL teams. As a solution, they decided to replace 2 banned teams with two new teams, a eureka moment (sic) indeed.

So, how will the two new teams be finalized? Reverse auction process. The base price for both teams is set at Rs. 40 Crore. The entities bidding for teams will have to bid lower than 40 crore and the two least bidders will be selected. As per Rajeev Shukla, IPL chairman, "It will be a walk in bid on December 8. The base price for reverse bid from central revenue pool is Rs 40 crore and the party which bids for lowest share from central revenue pool will be the winner of new team". Surprised? No, BCCI is not in a generous mood. The bidding is not the amount the winners will pay BCCI, instead it's the amount BCCI will pay the two winning bidders from the central revenue pool. Interested parties will have to bid as low as possible - mathematically even a negative amount. A negative amount would mean the winning bidder will pay the BCCI the bidding amount for two years.

How long will these teams remain? Two years. That is as per the current scenario. Post two years, IPL will complete 10 years. If you remember, the original contract with all IPL franchisees was for 10 years post which all players will again be in the auction pool. IPL, in a way, will restart again. CSK and RR will come back in the fold after the two year ban.

Why will anyone bid for a team for only two years? It seems illogical in terms of business. To break-even, an IPL team needs a minimum of 4-5 years (RR was an exception). In IPL, you invest heavily in the beginning and reap the rewards in the long term. BCCI is aware of it and hence the concept of reverse auction has been introduced. Also, bidders will know that the platform provided by IPL is on a global stage. Winning the bid to have a team in IPL will translate into a huge marketing platform that will fast-track the brand for years to come, if handled properly. The players of the team automatically qualifies as brand promoters. Huge investment, potential loss in short term but a huge opportunity in the long term. The only constraint is the need for funds to invest for two years. Another reason could be the flexibility the IPL rules provide (sarcasm, indeed). IPL-11 may have more than 8 teams, if the return on investment is significant with minor tweaks in the format.

What about players of CSK and RR? Ten players, 5 from each side, will be drafted into these two new teams. The rest of the players will be auctioned. One concern the owners of two teams will have is that they have a lesser population to choose from. What if the new team wants Ajinkya Rahane or Chris Gayle? What if they want to buy a player from Delhi / Mumbai? IPL has an option to buy and sell players between teams outside of auction. This option, I believe, should be applicable to new teams. The only catch is the team who currently owns the player should be interested to sell.

Will Kochi and Pune be involved? No. And no reason has been provided for this decision. This is the masala the mainstream news may focus on.

Well, that's about it. December 8th is the date for the bidding process. Unless there's a twist in the tale. Don't hold thy breath!

What goes along comes along? Isn’t it IPL / Kochi Tuskers?

Once upon a time, not so long ago in 2011, there were a group of investors who wanted to get involved in a lucrative, high visibility, highly marketable sporting event and went on to bid a mind blowing Rs. 15.33 billion for owning a team. They selected Kochi as their base city and hence the team’s name became “Kochi Tuskers Kerala”, the tusker part derived from Elephants in Kerala. 

But this agreement was by no means, a “happily ever after” scenario. Immediately after the deal was won, Kochi Tuskers Management developed internal ownership issues. This was, after all, a franchisee owned by many owners in unequal measure. Only after BCCI gave them a 30 day termination notice, Kochi Tuskers management prepared a revised structure of agreement. This was then agreed by BCCI and Kochi Tuskers were allowed to play in the IPL of 2011. 

Phase 1: Upper Hand – IPL / BCCI.

One year later, Kochi Tuskers were eliminated. BCCI were of the opinion that Kochi Tuskers for breaching its terms of agreement.  The issue was something related to the bank guarantee. The case went to court and the franchisee’s plea not allowing BCCI to encash the bank guarantee was rejected. BCCI gleefully did the needful. Part of the bank guarantee went to fund the salaries of the players who now don’t have a team.

Phase 2: Upper Hand – IPL / BCCI.

And now brace yourself for another twist!

Kochi Tuskers then challenged the withdrawing of bank guarantee in court. The final verdict happened this month (July 2015). Kochi Tuskers won the verdict and the court ordered BCCI to pay up the bank guarantee with interest! The amount comes to around Rs. 550/- Crore (other sources have calculated the amount to be closer to Rs. 900/- Crore). If the BCCI doesn’t pay up, the amount will increase by 18% annually. This has come as a big shock for BCCI who are already feeling the pressure of playing the next edition of IPL with 6 legit teams after Chennai and Rajasthan were suspended by Justice Lodha committee.

Phase 3: Upper Hand – Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

There’s one way BCCI can reduce the pressure significantly. BCCI needs 2 teams to replace / substitute for Chennai and Rajasthan so as to play IPL-9. Broadcasters and advertisers won’t allow IPL-9 to start or will negotiate for a reduced telecast / spot rates which BCCI won’t allow. Now, the twist is Kochi Tuskers have expressed interest to come back to IPL and are ready for BCCI to adjust the penalty amount from the annual franchisee fee. BCCI are left with no other option but to concede to Kochi’s request. I don’t think BCCI will take this up legally since with every passing day, the penalty amount is reaching unpayable proportions. The only option left is an out-of-court settlement which is where Kochi can make a grand comeback!

Life has come a full circle for Kochi Franchisee. But, in all fairness, Kochi deserves a Cricket team. They have a football team with Sachin Tendulkar as the owner. The same level should be present in Cricket too. Yes, there are logistical issues, but those aren’t something that can’t be sorted out.

But hey, the story’s not over yet. 

Phase 4: Upper Hand – To be decided.

How's this for a T20 squad?

One look at the image above and you might have guessed what's common between them. Yes, all these players are from West Indies. Most of them have played pivotal roles in the recently concluded IPL season. I have taken the liberty to include some players who, I think, has what it takes to make the cut in T20 format. This is also to ensure the team is complete and provide much needed stability in case of a collapse, which - lets admit - the team is more than capable of! 

Some of the key players from West Indies who graced this IPL were – 

• Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians – eventual champions) 
• Dwayne Smith and Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings – runner ups) 
• Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore) 
• Andre Russell and Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)

In my opinion, Lendl Simmons was a crucial cog in the wheel for Mumbai and his stability at the top coupled with his athleticism on the field ensured Mumbai emerge champions. He was 3rd in the list of highest run getters this season. Kieron Pollard is almost a “Mumbaicha-mulga” now and for rightful reasons too! Dwayne Bravo ended up as the highest wicket-taker this season. Andre Russell won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the season. Chris Gayle, not surprisingly, finished with the highest number of sixes in the tournament. Even the IPL 2015 final was dominated by West Indies’ players. Have a look – 

West Indies Cricket team is in a crisis and has been in one for the past few years now. But they have something the world is looking at – exciting T20 cricketers. This is the “hen that lays golden eggs” opportunity for West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). But only if they have the vision to see beyond their problems! I feel, West Indies are years away from establishing themselves in the Test and ODI arena. But T20 is theirs for the taking. They were the T20 champions in 2012 for a reason, after all.

As a cricket fan, I would love to see this team in action especially in 2016 T20 World Cup, assuming all the problems are sorted out. Come on WICB, make it happen. You owe this to all Cricket fans. At least, for the sake of your glorious history!

Six interesting takeaways from IPL-8

We have witnessed perhaps the most exciting IPL ever. Till the last day and the last match of the preliminary games, we didn’t have a clue as to which teams will make it to the top 4 (2nd to 4th positions) and at what position a team will end up with. Three teams who lost out were in contention till the penultimate day. Only Kings XI Punjab were truly out of contention. What followed in the Qualifiers and Eliminator games were worth watching. Everything ended with Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Since losing in their first 4 games, Mumbai came back and won most of everything that came their way, including the all-important finals! Mumbai’s performance in the final was reminiscent of Australian teams winning World Cup finals in the last 1990’s and early 2000’s. Ricky Ponting presence probably made a difference as he was leading the Australian team then and now the head coach of Mumbai Indians this season. Chennai doesn’t have to feel bad about the result as they have been the most consistent IPL team in IPL history. 

Here are some of the interesting takeaways from IPL season 8:

1. Top 3 teams in IPL-8 were captained by Indians: That’s right. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore were captained by Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli respectively. The best non-Indian captain of an IPL team was Steven Smith of Rajasthan Royals (not surprising at all). David Warner (Sun Risers Hyderabad), JP Duminy (Delhi Daredevils) and George Bailey (Kings XI Punjab) all failed as a captain to lead their team to the knockouts. What does that say? Two things in my opinion – one, Indians leaders definitely know the conditions well and have their strategies in place and two, having the best player as captain is not always the best decision. David Warner and JP Duminy played well as individuals for their team but the collective was missing.
2. Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the best teams in IPL: Without a doubt, they are! Before you start arguing why I missed out on Kolkata and Bangalore, let me explain why these 2 teams are the best. They are consistent. They win matches when it matters the most. They have been past winners (Chennai – 2 and Mumbai – 2). They have been in the finals the most compared to others (Chennai – 6 and Mumbai – 3). They have been in the knockouts the most compared to others too (Chennai – always and Mumbai – 6). With IPL done with 8 seasons, the media have to start analysing teams and bring in team rivalries to make it interesting. Don’t you think we need a Manchester United v/s Liverpool level rivalry in IPL too? What about a Barcelona v/s Real Madrid? Sony Six will do themselves a world of good by promoting such competitions to bring it additional revenues in IPL. That’s one way to make money. Fans will also keep track of such matches in upcoming seasons of IPL. IPL needs to move on to the next stage and team rivalries can be a great way to start.
3. Delhi needs a makeover, again: To be fair, Delhi started the IPL well (in seasons 1 and 2, they finished 4th and 3rd respectively). They were one of the top teams in IPL.  And then came the decline – 5th (2010), last (2011), 3rd (2012), last (2013), last (2014), 2nd to last (2015). The management of Delhi Daredevils have tried to change their setup every year, but to no avail. Retaining JP Duminy was a good decision and I feel they should retain him again for next year. They had the players to make them go the distance but no one clicked when it mattered, again. A costly Yuvraj Singh backfired terribly. This was just not Yuvraj Singh’s season and with age against him, he will have to make a decision. If he doesn’t, the auction participants next year will surely decide for him. 
4. AB de Villiers is Cricket’s answer to Lionel Messi: He cannot do a thing wrong. Although he plays in a team-game atmosphere, he has his own individuality that cannot be overlooked on the ground. When he brings in a new weapon to score, he amazes even the opposition fans. On occasions, the opposition team have absolutely no answer and just watch his magical tricks on display. If you follow the sport, you got to respect the player irrespective of the team you support. Losing the World Cup after coming agonizingly close brought out the tears in a player we thought was from another planet and hence devoid of emotions. Who am I talking about? Lionel Messi or AB de Villiers? Or both? The same narrative applies to both these players right?
5. IPL is a great leveller: And Kings XI Punjab is a great example in this regard. In the 2014 season, Kings XI bull dozed their way to the top of the league table only to lose in the finals in the worst possible way (by 1 run) against a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders. But that does not take away the fact that Kings XI were the best team in that season. Kolkata simply made it count when it mattered the most. Cut to the 2015 season and the irony is evident. The best-team-by-a-distance in 2014 has nosedived to become the worst team of 2015, also by a distance! Factually, a team that won 11 out of 14 games in 2014 lost 11 out of 14 games in 2015! I don’t think the management is to be blamed here. Kings XI retained as much as 20 players for 2015 (highest by any team). It’s just that these players stooped to a level even they thought wasn’t possible. 
6. IPL cannot be truly complete without controversies: IPL is all about synchronously merging Cricket with entertainment. In today’s day and age, entertainment also includes controversies and scams. The glue that attaches an Indian TV audience in front of their TV set is entertainment based journalism / news that involves scams and controversies. Let’s admit it, we simply cannot resist it. IPL-8 has also ensured controversies are brought it to make the event spicier. Remember Kieron Pollard’s tape incident. I felt it was a reaction in jest which was taken a little out of proportion by some. MSD criticising an umpire during the post-match speech was totally unlike MSD. Add to it, the recently discovered spot-fixing allegation in some of the matches in IPL-8. If the news channels have their way, expect a lot of "debates" on this front!

PS: This post has been selected as one of the Tangy Tuesday Picks by BlogAdda. 

Is there a flaw in the IPL rule that decides final league position?

This has been one of the most exciting IPL tournaments. It could even be the best so far. Till the last day of the league game, 4 teams were vying for the playoff berth. That’s 50% of total IPL teams, to put things in perspective. Three of the last 4 games were virtual knock-outs. That’s how competitive this IPL was. In the end, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals sneaked through to the playoffs.

This is how the points-table looks like after the league games – 

Do you, like me, have a doubt about the final position just by looking at the above league table? Look closely at positions 2, 3 and 4.

How did Mumbai Indians get the second spot?

This is thanks to the following rule of IPL – 

“21.9.2 Where teams have an equal number of points their relative positions shall be determined by the following: 

a. the team with the most wins in matches in the League during the season will be placed in the higher position;

b. if there are teams with equal points and equal wins during the season, then in such case the team with the higher net run rate will be placed in the higher position”

Although 3 teams are tied at 16 points, Mumbai overtook RCB and RR due to the extra win they have had this season. Mumbai have won 8 games. Both RCB and RR have 7 wins each and 2 washouts. Thanks to the aforementioned rule, Mumbai Indians got 2nd position. When the number of wins are same, only then Net Run Rate (NRR) will be considered. RCB has a better NRR compared to RR and hence got 3rd position with RR falling in 4th. Mumbai Indians have the worst NRR among the three teams.  

Did Mumbai Indians deserve second spot?

In my opinion, the answer is No.

Let’s understand this rationally. Such a rule makes a lot of sense in football where a draw has an equal chance of occurring compared to a definite result (win / loss). This probability does not apply in Cricket. A “no result / tie” scenario happens when a match is – 

- washed out due to weather conditions or a forfeit

- tied, i.e. two teams end with exactly the same number of runs

The first condition is not in our hands. IPL has smartly handled the 2nd condition well by introducing a ‘super over’. If the match is tied even after the super over (after considering the boundary count etc.), then it’s considered a tie. This is a rarest of rare occurrence in T20 games. Only 6 games have had a super-over in IPL history and all of them ended with a definite result, which means no tied games in IPL history.

IPL has messed up handling the 1st condition of a “no result / tie” situation – a washout. RCB and RR lost out purely due to bad luck. No one can predict rains and plan for it. It just so happened that RCB and RR had 2 washout games – even 1 victory out of these two matches would have ensured a better league position. Moreover they have better NRR, which means they have been more consistent than Mumbai, winning more convincingly than Mumbai and losing more close matches than Mumbai. Another way to look at it is that RCB and RR have lost lesser games than Mumbai yet finished below Mumbai. Not fair, right?

I am a fan of Mumbai Indians and have been supporting them since the inception of IPL and will continue supporting them till the end of IPL. This post is not against Mumbai Indians or any other team. This is just to address the flaw in deciding final league position. IPL should take notice and correct this flaw and allow relatively better team to have relatively better position. 

In my opinion, NRR should take precedence when teams are tied in the points table. NRR is a fair estimate of how a team has performed throughout the season. Had NRR been considered, Mumbai Indians would have been in 4th position behind RCB (2nd) and RR (3rd). It would have been Chennai Super Kings v/s Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 1st qualifier followed by Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians for the eliminator. 

Let’s not allow the playing conditions to decide who is placed where in the table.