The IPL thread

[Kid A]

The IPL thread

Having never seen any IPL before this year I was really looking forward to it. But the novelty wore off after a week or two. It's just too many games I think. So adding another 2 teams for next year is not going to help on that front.

The SFs and final should be compelling viewing though.

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

Yes, I found that too. But given the size and population of India I think adding 2 franchises is perfectly defensible - after all the IPL model isn't based on a UK audience tuning in to every game.

The real problems (beyond dodgy auctions) I see are:
a) allegiances to the teams are very thin (with the odd exception, like Kolkota), and largely based on the players involved - for instance, I'm sure that most supporters of the Mumbai Indians are supporting them as Sachin's team rather than for any other reason. Clearly existing teams are going to want to hang on to their popular players, but most contracts are up now and to give the new franchises a chance they will want to have an Indian superstar or two. The player movement may undermine team identification still further.

b) the number of Indian players of suitable standard to fill 7 places in each team will be put under even more of a strain with two more teams. The odds are that the key Indian players will be the subject of stratospheric offers, with sharply reduced offers for overseas players as most of them are replaceable. That may lead some foreign players to decide the IPL isn't worth their while (as Clarke, Broad and Anderson already have) and a diminution of its standing. I think upping the number of foreign players allowed on the field to 5 may well be on the cards.

[ursus arctos]

The IPL thread

Mumbai coast to a 45 run win in the first semi-final, despite Steyn getting Sachin for only 9. In an interesting counterpoint to Etienne's last post, Rayudu and Tiwary combined for 92, with Tiwary getting 52*. Pollard added 33*, as well as taking 3 for 17.

Mumbai are now definitely into the Champions League, while Bangalore can still make that potential moneypot if they beat the loser of Chennai-Deccan in the 3d place match.

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

I didn't see the match, but Rayudu's knock was 40 off 38 balls. That's not a great 20/20 innings, you're looking for a minimum 120 strike rate. Tiwary played a good innings, but it was Pollard's explosiveness that got them up to 184 rather than 165 say. Then it was the overseas bowlers who did the damage, Fernando, Malinga and Pollard combined figures 12-0-69-6, while Harbajhan and Zaheer (probably the best Indian bowlers, along with Kumble and Ojha) went 8-0-78-2.

Of course there are plenty of good Indian players, but with the expansion it would rely on there being 70 Indian players capable of playing alongside the best 40 players in world cricket. I don't think any nation (even Australia) has the strength in depth to handle that.

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

Indeed if Kallis had dropped Rayudu, Bangalore might well have won.

[ursus arctos]

The IPL thread

I obviously didn't see it either, but I think that is a bit harsh on Rayudu given the pitch, Bangalore's bowlers and the fact that Sachin and Duminy went for 12 combined.

I completely agree with your second paragraph, though. I was just noting that there have been relative "no name" Indians who have done well in the tournament.

It is an intesting dilemma for the BCCI, Modi and/or whomever ends up running the IPL. You could increase the foreign quota on the field to 5 without jeopardising their insistence on it being a domestic competition in part designed to develop Indian talent, but it's harder to make that claim once it goes to 6. And the overseas talent pool is already unnaturally weak due to the absence of Pakistanis.

The IPL has been more successful that even its more fevered supporters had dreamed, but the next 12 months will be very important in terms of its future.

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

For some reason Mumbai don't send Pollard in until 8, when the game is basically gone (with Duminy at 7). Is there some franchise policy to try and win with Indian journeymen or something?

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

When he does come in he promptly takes 22 runs off one over from Bollinger, probably the most economical bowler in the tournament.

[Gangster Octopus]

The IPL thread

Bollinger's been incredible throughout this tournament until that over...

[ursus arctos]

The IPL thread

Sachin is many things to many people, but a quality captain is not one of them.

Meanwhile, in other news, here's a useful summary of the charges against Modi.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The IPL thread

I think I was more surprised about charges against Stanford.

[ursus arctos]

The IPL thread

Hmmm, I had my doubts about Stanford as soon as he pulled the helicopter stunt at Lord's.

I confess to being intrigued by the complex politics of this situation. A well-informed Indian poster on another site provided the following precis:

Yes, this is big, but predictable news.

IMO, no one in the Indian political circles expected the IPL to be such a huge money spinner. But the business circles knew it and they backed Modi to make it happen.

Sharad Pawar, soon-to-be ICC president and a Union Minister, is one of the few contenders for the PM’s job, based on how the poll results come out. And through Modi, he has control of the biggest branding vehicle and money spinner (money laundering machine as well) in the country. We have a prince in waiting in India.Steps are being taken to cut any potential threat to the throne to size.

Shashi Tharoor’s failed attempt to outsmart Modi has just acted as the catalyst to make the entire Govt machinery gun for Modi’s exit and thereby weaken Pawar considerably. The earlier fracas around Pakistani players’ exclusion was just a one-shot-to-kill-two-birds kind of maneuvre which did nothing to impact the Pawar-Modi team.

Now, Pawar, inspite of the support being extended by the opposition party BJP, seems to have decided to cut his losses and make a compromise with 10, Janpath by dumping Modi.However, Modi won’t go down without a fight.He has too many recorded conversations and SMSes, and the business men behind IPL are also getting a bit queasy about the mess.

Mukesh Ambani of the Mumbai Indians can broker a deal if he thinks the price paid (for disbanding IPL) will be too high.Looks like the business men and BCCI will strike a deal to: a)Protect the image of Indian cricket; b) Allow the spoils of IPL to be redistributed a little towards Congress’ kitty and c)Modi to be made a scapegoat.

The key players who will negotiate a deal on behalf of the major stakeholders: Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed Patel on behalf of Congress/UPA, Sharad Pawar, and a few businessmen like Ambani.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The IPL thread

Irony or something intended re Stanford. I wasn't surprised with either of them.

Be fair anyway, he only landed the helicopter on the Nursery Ground at Lord's

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

Proof that ridiculous formats are endemic in cricket, whoever is in charge. Format for the next 3 IPL seasons:

The IPL will comprise 70 league matches and four playoffs for the next three seasons. The ten teams will be split into two groups of five each, but will be ranked together in one composite league table. The change was necessary due to the addition of two new teams, Pune and Kochi, from the next season.

Every team will play the same number of league games (14, 7 home and 7 away) as in previous seasons in the following manner: Each team will play the other four in its group both home and away (eight matches), it will play four of the teams in the other group once (four matches, either home or away) and it will play the remaining team in the other group twice, both home and away. A random draw will decide the composition of the groups as well as who plays whom across the groups once and twice.

The teams that finish first and second in the league table will contest the first playoff, which is effectively a semi-final (Game A). The teams that finish third and fourth will play each other in a knockout that is effectively a quarterfinal (Game B). The loser of Game A will play the winner of Game B in a match (Game C) that will decide the second finalist that will play the winner of Game A in the grand final.

[Etienne]

The IPL thread

Blimey.

[ursus arctos]

The IPL thread

Wowza.

So much for Royals' "worldwide brand".

Is this whole thing being scripted by someone in Bollywood?

[Guest]

The IPL thread

Shane Warne and Lalit Modi are twittering away about the injustice of it all. How much longer before the BCCI is re-named the BCCITWTUAE*.

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