IPL 2009: Another round of cricketainment

As the stage is set for the commencement of the second edition of the Indian Premier League, my mind goes back to exactly a year ago when the IPL was launched amidst unprecedented fanfare and high expectations.

The concept itself was unique what with the public auction of players, the introduction of franchisees and the keen involvement of film stars, flamboyant industrialists and big business houses. The money associated with the event was the eye rubbing and mind boggling variety. They were detractors who scoffed at the concept and said that nothing could compare with countries vying with each other.

"When Mohali's Brett Lee bowls to Bangalore's Rahul Dravid, will it be the same as Australia's Lee bowling to India's Dravid" was the crux of their argument. Apparently the vast majority disagreed and when the tournament got underway cricket fans relished the rare spectacle of seeing Brett Lee bowling to Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath bowling to Adam Gilchrist and Muthiah Muralitharan bowling to Kumar Sangakkara.

Given the glitz and glamour and the fact that all the leading cricketers in the world were taking part in the newest 'avatar' of the game the average cricket fan could not wait for the IPL to get underway.

Brendon McCullum gave the tournament the dream start it needed with an electrifying 158 and interest in the IPL thereafter never waned. If anything it only kept getting higher and higher. The fact that the IPL scored over soap operas as also Shah Rukh's newly inaugurated game show "Kya Aap Panchvi Paas Se Tez Hai" underscored the unprecedented following for the competition on television. Almost every one of the matches spread over six weeks was watched by a packed crowd.

At the end of it all there was little doubt that the IPL had evoked a highly favourable response. The six-week extravaganza, which had cricket of the rollicking variety, turned out to be a whopping success giving rise to a new phrase - cricketainment.

Whichever way one examined the event there is little doubt that the IPL struck the right chords around the country. The IPL was also closely followed by cricket fans all over the world what with the cash-rich tournament having a truly international touch. Also keeping a tab on it were administrators who see Twenty20 as the game's future.

On the eve of the tournament Sachin Tendulkar predicted that the IPL would be a super-hit and indeed it caught the public fancy in this country like few events in the past.


Everywhere you went the discussion among cricket enthusiasts - and even those having only a passing interest in the game - centered round various aspects of the IPL. The fact that film stars, prominent industrialists and media barons were among the franchisees added more than a touch of glamour with the cheerleaders also doing their bit on this front while the astronomical amount of money involved was the subject of much debate. Various opinion polls focused on the large number of women followers among the millions of TV viewers.

But the IPL was not only about glitz, glamour and big bucks. It also succeeded in exploding many myths about the Twenty20 game - that it is a batsman's game, that it is a format of, by and for the youngsters and oldies have no place in it and that it is all slam bang with little by way of strategic moves or tactical planning.


Describing the IPL as 'a landmark time in cricket' Adam Gilchrist was of the view that after 30 years when people look back they would say it is the most important thing to have happened in cricket. "In time to come people will say IPL changed the direction of cricket," he said and it is difficult to disagree with this view.

In a tournament lasting 45 days and involving 59 matches there was bound to be a glitch or two. There was the odd incident and the hot-under-the-collar statements. Admitting the glitches IPL chairman Lalit Modi reminded everyone that it was the first year of a tournament run on a massive scale and he hoped that everything would be ironed out by the time of the next edition. Cricket fans could not wait for that to get underway such was the impact the IPL created. And now the time has come for IPL II to provide another round of cricketainment.

'I've probably never been fitter' - Hayden

These are strange days for Mathew hayden. Three months removed from calling time on his international career - an announcement he had hoped to stave off until after the 2009 Ashes, but expedited due to an extended scoring trough - Hayden now finds himself preparing to return to a game with which he is still making his peace, and a league that contributed to his premature departure from the Australian team.

Hayden speaks glowingly of his experiences in the inaugural IPL, but there can be little doubt that the Achilles injury sustained during his four-game stint with the Chennai Super Kings last year marked the beginning of the end of his international career. It was that ailment that sidelined him from the ensuing tour of the West Indies, and thwarted the momentum he had built since The Oval Test of 2005. It was that ailment that prompted the chain of events culminating in a tearful farewell press conference after the Sydney Test.

Hayden has said a thousand goodbyes and done many a lap of honour in the intervening period, only to find himself poised for a return to the middle. The pain of his departure from international cricket might not have entirely subsided - "It's hard to watch a game you still want to be involved in" - but he is nonetheless buoyant at the prospect of again turning out for the Super Kings, for whom he bludgeoned 189 runs at 63.00 last year.

"The players really feel they are part of a revolution in cricket - the way that it is played, the way it's packaged, and the spectators who are watching it," Hayden told Cricinfo. "For someone like me, who has been in the game a long time, it blows me away what Twenty20 cricket has done, and is doing, to the sport.

"[Last season] was unfortunate. I picked up that [Achilles] injury doing a running session because I wanted to be spot on for that West Indies tour. I came back [from the IPL] on a real high, not realising how bad the injury was. It didn't feel all that serious, and I wasn't expecting to miss any games let along an entire Test series, so it wasn't until later that I realised what I was actually dealing with. But I don't look back on [the inaugural IPL] as a negative. If anything I found that really reinvigorated me and revived my enthusiasm, because you could feel you were a part of taking cricket to another level."

Had the Super Kings management harboured concerns for Hayden's physical condition post-retirement, they were placated within moments of the 37-year-old's arrival in India for a pre-IPL training camp. Hayden has spent much of the past three months immersed in one of his favourite training pursuits - surfing - and believes he is in better physical condition than at most stages of his international career.

KwaZulu-Natal beachgoers have been treated this week to the sight of a trim and toned Hayden surfing the Durban breaks with his one-time opponent, Jonty Rhodes. But the Australian batsman has also found plenty time to hit the nets, where he has found that the months away from the game have done little to erode his technique.

"Skills-wise, I've had a week and a half in India and hit a million balls, so in that regard I'm up and running," Hayden said. "But in terms of actually playing, I haven't picked up a bat since my final Test in Sydney, so it will be interesting to be back out there competing again. It has felt quite good so far.

"I've probably never been fitter. I've done a stack of surfing in the last few months and, as ridiculous as it sounds, it's probably the best kind of fitness work a batsman can do. It's all about core strength, balance and stability. Fitness was probably the one thing you couldn't get to all that much when you were playing all the time. It was sort of game-recover-travel, game-recover-travel."

Had Twenty20 cricket arrived on the scene earlier in his career, Hayden is certain he would have taken the David Warner route and tailored his game to meet the format's specific demands. Indeed, Hayden took with him a "Twenty20 mindset" into the 2007 World Cup - a tournament he dominated to the tune of 659 runs at 73.22 - and was similarly dominant in his four games for Chennai last season. It is a format, he says, to which he is well suited, even at an advanced age.

"The World Cup for me was pretty much as good as it got, and that was about me basically going out there and striking the ball; trying to thump it as you would in a 20-over game," he said. "I wasn't so much worried about building innings or protecting my wicket. I was looking for boundaries, and it really took my game to another level. It's something I see in Warner. He turned the cricketing nation on its ear because he could strike a serious ball. He had everyone talking, and shows just how the game is changing.

"It's amazing to see the momentum of Twenty20. At first, it was considered quite a light-hearted thing and even now, in Australia, it's presented in a way where players are miked up and it's more about the entertainment. But I think it's changing elsewhere. Players are working more on how to develop their skills to be successful in Twenty20 cricket, which is the ultimate spectacle, and leaving the singing and jazzing about to others."

Rajasthan Royals axe Kaif, seven others

New Delhi: The Rajasthan Royals have axed a big name from their squad even before the IPL got underway. Mohammad Kaif has been axed from the squad along with seven other players.

They will now fly back to India. Kaif was purchased for a hefty 675,000 US dollars at the auction last year but didn't have much of a role during the victorious campaign.

Kaif had played all the matches but could manage only 176 runs at an average of just 16. He didn't make a single half century, largely because he was shunted lower down the order. The 28 year old kaif has played 13 Tests and 125 one-dayers for India so far.

KKR IPL’s real show stealers as Rajasthan Royals falter despite win

If you thought winning is everything, think again! It certainly is not everything in the IPL. A recent study shows that while the Rajasthan Royals won the Tournament’s first season last year, It was the Kolkata Knight riders who truly won peoples’ hearts. Even as the eight IPL franchisees gear up for the tourney’s curtailed second season in South Africa, here are some pointers on perhaps the single most important factor concerning them- building and consolidating on a loyal fan base.

A recent survey conducted by sports marketing firm Dentsu Sport titled Building Sports Fandom- available exclusively with ET- analyses the things that helped IPL teams click with fans in the first season.

Conducted among 2009 (two thousand and nine) internet users in 30 cities, the survey also lists the most effective teams in IPL-2008 on parameters like presence of international stars, team name recall and uniform color recall.

Further, it suggests that there are short-term factors (Human Factor, Percieved Energy) and long-term ones (Performance, Engagement) that franchisees need to stress on, in order to succeed in attaining the elusive- a sustainable, loyal fan-base.

Not surprisingly, while Kolkata Knight Riders did exceedingly well in terms of human factor and engagement with co-owner SRK and a bevy of bollywood celebrities supporting the team, the Bangalore Royal Challengers were high on human factor but scored low on the performance and engagement fronts.

Says Rajesh Aggarwal, president, Dentsu advertising India; "For long-term gains in terms of creating sport fandom, franchisees need to ensure on-field performance and audience involvement during and post the tournament. The latter can be achieved through effective merchandising, creating fan clubs, cheering squads et al. Team owners can not afford to leave supporters stranded after the two month tournament and need to engage them for the whole year."

The study concluded that respondents regarded Rajasthan Royals as the most effective team on all performance related parameters- League Standing, Win % age, net run rate, performance of top five players. Kolkata Knight Riders scored in engagement factors like celebrity promoting a team, owner branding, uniform recall and TRPs while Chennai Superkings were regarded by respondents as the most balanced team, one that fared well on most counts including the presence of local/regional players, captain recall of team.

But the real surprise was Hyderabad franchise Deccan Chargers, which the respondents rated highest on the Perceived Energy parameter. A majority of the respondents found the franchise’s name the most energetic and vibrant. That it also advertised extensively before and during the first season, helped the side that finished at the bottom of the table, performance-wise.

Respondents found teams Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians as average on all counts although Mumbai fared better than Delhi on all other counts barring performance. Winners Rajasthan Royals were found lagging in human factor and engagement, what with the lack of any big-ticket players ahead of the first season and restrained advertising to get the franchise noticed and talked-about. This, a clear indicator of the fact that winning is not all that it takes to be a success in the IPL.

Multiple-captain idea is burning issue at IPL

NEW DELHI (AFP) — When veteran Australian coach John Buchanan recently floated the idea of having multiple captains in Twenty20, it became a burning issue, literally.

His effigies were burnt in Kolkata by fans of former India captain Sourav Ganguly who believed the concept was meant to dilute the powers of their popular 'Prince of Kolkata'.

The 56-year-old Buchanan, who had a successful eight-year stint as Australia's coach, said the new concept would be an advantage in the fast-moving shortest version of the game.

"There will always be a nominated captain, who goes for the toss. He could look after the bowling, make the changes, take care of the strategy aspect," he told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper.

"We could also have a fielding captain, who sets the field keeping in mind the planning done for that particular match. The fielding captain complements the nominated/bowling captain.

"Both will be supported by the coach, who'll be the captain off the field. When the team is batting, the coach will be the captain."

Buchanan, cricket manager of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, sparked a worldwide debate with his concept and led to the pro-Ganguly protests.

The controversy did not die down and it eventually required Knight Riders owner, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, to broker a truce.

"I am not doing it for the sake of grabbing headlines," said Buchanan. "I am doing it for reasons that'll benefit the game.

"Having one captain to run the show in the traditional form is okay. In Twenty20, though, I don't believe we need a single captain to be responsible for all the decisions."

Ganguly said they would "wait and see" how the idea works when the IPL opens on Saturday.

"It's completely new. It has never happened in sports," he said. "There are no gaurantees."

Teams like Australia and India have had different Test and one-day captains, but not more than one skipper in a match in any form of the game.

South African coach Mickey Arthur promptly shot down the idea.

"It has to be one leader always," he said. "I favour the one-captain situation because everybody in the team is clear about who is in charge at all times.

"If you have more than one guy as leader, you don't know whom to turn to. I really don't know what he (Buchanan) is aiming at."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting saw no problems with the concept.

"I know Tassie (Tasmania) actually experimented with that a few years ago. One was doing the field placings and one was doing the bowling changes," said Ponting.

"So it just sort of lightened the load up on the actual captain and gave him a bit more opportunity to think about different things. I don't see there's a lot of problems with it."

Sri Lanka's new captain Kumar Sangakkara felt the idea should be given a fair trial.

"If it's a way to go forward and it shows results, why not?" he asked.

"Hopefully, it's not a marketing gimmick. Something to create more interest towards that one franchise and to get the public to say 'Well, we'll follow the Knight Riders from here on."

Rhodes calls for fielding captains

Jonty Rhodes, one of the greatest fielders, has partially backed John Buchanan's multi-captain theory by calling for a fielding captain in Twenty20s. Rhodes feels the nominated player can play the role of a "facilitator" for the team captain, who would have many other responsibilities and could not be expected to carry out every fielding change.

Rhodes, the fielding coach of Mumbai Indians in the IPL, said Hansie Cronje, the former South Africa captain, had given him the task of monitoring the field to make sure all the players were attentive. Rhodes felt it was a move that helped South Africa become one of the best fielding units.

"Cronje gave me the responsibility to find ways to improve our fielding...You can have a guy who is responsible for that, if you want to call him the fielding captain that's fine," Rhodes told Cricinfo from Durban, where he is supervising the Mumbai squad with his former team-mate Shaun Pollock, the team's mentor.

Buchanan's theory of multiple-strategists for the Kolkata Knight Riders created a huge furore. As part of his plan to succeed in Twenty20s, Buchanan favoured more "decision-makers" in the side, including one who could look after the fielders. Rhodes said the man in charge of the fielding needs to make sure fielders are into their positions quickly so the bowlers could get through the overs soon.

"Also if there is an instance where the player could dive but doesn't then, without adding pressure on him, you need the guy [fielding captain] to tell him what could've been the result if only he had attempted the dive," Rhodes said. "That's not the captain's role (to advise the fielders). He has many other things on his head. The fielding captain is like a facilitator."

Rhodes, who was a consultant with the South African team, said during his interaction last month with the Mumbai players he stressed on throwing techniques and foot movement, two aspects that make a good fielder.

Asked to nominate the best fielders in the game today, Rhodes picked countrymen JP Duminy and AB de Villiers, Australian Andrew Symonds, and England's Paul Collingwood.

"JP Duminy fields well in the inner ring in the first six overs. And when the fielding restrictions are over because he is very quick to the ball and even if he may not have the biggest arm in the world, he has a good throw, his body position is good, catches a lot of balls in the outfield so he is very good. Andrew Symonds is a very good all-round fielder, too He is very strong in the inner ring, who leans very well and throws very well from the boundary. AB de Villiers has really good feet movement as a wicketkeeper and Paul Collingwood is very good at backward point or at cover."

Rhodes felt their strength was that they are completely focused. In his own words it means "intensity", which, he says, is the key to success in Twenty20 cricket. "You have to maintain a high intensity. There are only 120 balls, you have to be focused every single ball, expecting every single ball to come to you whether you are fielding at third man, fine leg, or backward point, the way the guys play shots these days you have to expect the ball to come wherever you fielding," Rhodes said. "That is the key to good fielding - if you are expecting it you can put up a good performance."

Rhodes said that while the basic skills of fielding remain the same in all forms of the game, it is the intensity that differs. "Even in the 50-overs game I was expecting the ball to come to me and was quite disappointed if it didn't come. Pressure is a constant in the 20-over game with matches going right down to the wire so you can't afford to really make a mistake with bat, ball or in the field. Fielding is the same, just that you are doing it at a lot quicker pace."

IPL is blessing in disguise before T20 WC: Gambhir

The Indian Premier League T20 tournament in South Africa will provide India the perfect platform to prepare for their title defence in the World Twenty20 Championships in England in June, feels charismatic opener Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir said getting the opportunity to play some quality Twenty20 cricket during the IPL would definitely act in favour of the defending champions ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup.

"It`s a blessing in disguise for us to play IPL in South Africa before the Twenty20 World Cup. We hardly get to play Twenty20 matches. But to get the chance to play 14 to 15 games in IPL against world class players will definitely help us in our preparations for defending the crown," he said.
Gambhir, who has been in dream form in the recent past and was adjudged player of the tournament during India’s historic New Zealand tour, feels any player`s success in the international arena depends on his security in the team.

Meanwhile, Gambhir`s Delhi Daredevils teammate and opening partner Virender Sehwag feels the bouncy South African pitches will not only assist fast bowlers but batsmen too can derive benefits from them.

"Pacers will undoubtedly have an edge in South Africa because of pace and bounce but that`s good for batters too as they can play their shots on such conditions," Sehwag told reporters last night during a send-off event of the Delhi Daredevils team.

The swashbuckling opener, however, rued the opportunity of missing home crowd during the second edition of the IPL in South Africa, which was shifted out of the country this year as it clashes with the general elections.

"We will miss Delhi crowd in South Africa but hopefully, there will be sufficient support for us in South Africa."

Asked about the Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan`s controversial ‘multiple captaincy’ theory, Sehwag, who is also the vice-captain of the Indian team, said "No comments."

Interestingly, his team-mate and leg-spinner Amit Mishra ridiculed the concept and said a team should have one skipper for a series.

"There should be one captain for a whole series and I`m happy that we have captain in Viru (Sehwag)," he said.

Ishant denies supporting Buchanan on multiple captaincy

Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Ishant Sharma on Tuesday denied supporting KKR Cricket Manager John Buchanan`s multiple-captaincy idea, saying he favoured single leadership for his team in the Indian Premier League second season.

Ishant had been quoted as saying by a news channel that Buchanan`s multiple captaincy idea should be tried if KKR wants to improve its performance this season, but he denied the comments attributed to him.

"I have not said anything in support of the idea. It will be good for the team if we have only one captain. I don`t know how having four captains will work," Ishant said.

"I don`t know the team strategy. I will know only after I reach South Africa and meet my team members. So, I can`t say anything more, whatever is good for the team I am for it," said Ishant at the unveiling of KKR team apparel from Reebok, the official merchandise partner of the side, here.

Asked which one was more satisfying for him between the tour of Australia early last year and the historic series win in New Zealand recently, Ishant said, "In Australia I made my name, people came to know of Ishant the fast bowler. But the New Zealand tour was also a big thing as we won the series after 41 years."

Ishant also refused to pick his favourite for the IPL second season starting April 18 in South Africa.

"I can`t say which team is the favourite to win. It depends on the momentum of a team in the tournament. Keeping the winning momentum will be important," said the 20-year-old pacer who leaves for South Africa tomorrow.

Asked whose wicket he would want most to take in the IPL in South Africa, Ishant said, "There are lot many batsmen whose wicket I would want to take. But, Sachin Tendulkar`s would be something special. He is legend of the game."

Bookies tip Dhoni’s team to go all the way

Bookmakers have bad news for Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. Ahead of IPL II, they are putting money on Chennai Super Kings followed by the Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians with Deccan Chargers bringing up the rear.

Rates opened in Kolkata on Monday and even in the time of economic slowdown, business of Rs 25,000 crore is expected. That’s Rs 1000 crore more than last year. The bookies are looking at nearly Rs 450 crore for each match of the competition which begins in South Africa this weekend.

Having burnt their fingers last year with Bangalore Royal Challengers, the bookies are a lot more careful this time. “As it was a completely new concept with players from different countries in one team, it was very difficult to predict who would perform well,” a Mumbai bookie explained. The Bangalore team is fourth on the list of favourites this year.

The bookies are quoting MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings at Rs 4.3 for a rupee. This means, if the team wins, a punter would get Rs 5.3. From being second-last on the favourites’ list last year, Virender Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils move up to second at Rs 4.7.

Shane Warne may talk of unleashing a ‘tornado’ or a ‘wild thing’ called Kamran Khan but losing Saturday’s friendly to Cape Cobras have hurt Rajasthan Royals’ ratings. They are being quoted at Rs 8.

“We had planned to open Rajasthan Royals’ rate at Rs 5.5 bringing them to third position but their poor performance in the practice match, that too against a local team, forced us to rethink,” the bookie said.

On Sourav Ganguly’s Knight Riders, the rate is Rs 8.25 which is 25 paisa less than the odds on Kings XI Punjab where Yuvraj Singh is king. Some distance behind are Deccan Chargers who will fetch Rs 11 for every rupee invested. Quite a comedown that from being second on the list last year.

Tussauds unveil Sachin's wax figure

Indian ace cricketer Sachin Tendulakar too would join the likes of many other Indian personalities who have adorned the wax museum of Madame Tussauds Museum in London.

Sachin's figure spotted in his cricket whites in an on pitch pose, will be unveiled at Tussauds in April this year.

So far only filmstars and politicians have been found a place at the world popular wax museum which includes celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sharukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Indira Gandhi etc.

Sachin would be the first Indian sportsman to feature in the museum which has world sporting legends like Tiger woods, David Beckham, cricketers Brian Lara, Shane Warne etc.--MP

IPL 2009 Teams

Bangalore Royal Challengers
Captain: Rahul Dravid
Coach: Venkatesh Prasad
Franchisee: UB Group

Franchise cost: $111.6 Million


Chennai Super Kings
Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Coach: Kepler Wessels

Franchisee: India Cements
Franchise cost: $91 Million




Delhi Daredevils

Captain: Virender Sehwag
Coach: Greg Shipperd
Franchisee: GMR Holdings
Franchise cost: $84 Million



Deccan Chargers
Captain: VVS Laxman
Coach: Robin Singh
Franchisee: Deccan Chronicle
Franchise cost: $107.01 Million





Kings XI Punjab
Captain: Yuvraj Singh
Coach: Tom Moody

Franchisee: Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and Karan Paul
Franchise cost: $76 Million


Kolkata Knight Riders
Captain: Sourav Ganguly

Coach: John Buchanan
Franchisee: Red Chiilies Entertainment
Franchise cost: $79.09 Millions





Mumbai Indians
Captain: Sachin Tendulkar
Coach: Lalchand Rajput
Franchisee: Reliance Industries Ltd
Franchise cost: $111.9 Million



Rajasthan Royals
Captain: Shane Warne
Coach: Shane Warne
Franchisee: Emerging Media

Franchise cost: $67 Million