IPL - what are your views?

[su-47]

Everything you wanted to know about the Indian Premier League
Cricinfo Staff

What is the Indian Premier League?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a franchise-based Twenty20 competition organised by the BCCI, and it has official sanction since it has the backing of the ICC. It features the world's best cricketers playing - their affiliation decided by open auction - for eight city-based franchises, owned by a host of businessmen and celebrity consortiums. The inaugural edition of the tournament will run from April 18 to June 1.


What are the logistics of the IPL?
The tournament will begin on April 18, when Bangalore take on Kolkata at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The tournament will feature 59 matches in total, the teams playing each other on a home-and-away basis. Click here for the full list of fixtures.


Why is the IPL generating such a buzz?
Two main reasons why. One the football-club concept of the IPL, which is unlike anything cricket has known. The best players from across the world playing not according to nationality but according to market forces. Second, the sheer financial scale of the IPL is unprecedented at this level of cricket. The BCCI has already made close to US$ 1.75 billion solely from the sale of TV rights ($908 million), promotion ($108 million) and franchises (approximately $700 million). Players are expected to earn close to US$1 million for a three-year contract. It's an entire cricket economy out there.


Who are the top cricketers involved?
There are 77 names in the fray, the top current players: Dhoni, Ponting, Gilchrist, Shoaib Akhtar, Jayawardene, Jayasuriya, Yuvraj, Hayden...The notable absentees are from England, because the IPL will clash with their domestic season, and Australia's Michael Clarke, who opted to focus on his regular cricket.


Who are the franchise owners - celebrities and others?
Mukesh Ambani, the Reliance Industries chairman, acquired the Mumbai franchise for $111.9 million over a 10-year period; beer and airline baron Vijay Mallya, who also owns a Formula 1 team, won the Bangalore franchise for $111.6 million; Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment won the Kolkata franchise for $75 million; the biggest surprise was the Chandigarh franchise, which went to Preity Zinta, another Bollywood star, and Ness Wadia, together with two other industrialists, for $75 million. The winning team will get richer by $3 million if they win the first edition of the tournament.

How are the players paired with teams?
The BCCI will conduct a player auction on February 20, in which the respective franchises can bid for a maximum of eight international players from pool of 89 players who have been contracted to the board. But Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Yuvraj Singh are not up for auction as they have been given 'iconic' status by the BCCI - which means that they have to represent the city in which they are based. Another exception to the bidding process is with regard to the Australian players - a clause in the rules of Cricket Australia has meant that each team can select a maximum of two Australians.

Whose idea is the IPL?
The IPL is the brainchild of Lalit Modi, the vice-president of the BCCI, and is modeled along the lines of club football in Europe, specifically the English Premier League. Though there is a school of thought that the idea came about in the 1990s, the announcement that such a tournament would happen, and which it would be a precursor to Twenty20 Champions League, cricket's version of the European Champions League, came only after Subhash Chandra, the owner of Zee Televison said, in April last year, that he was intending to start an unofficial league called the Indian Cricket League, fuelling speculation that is was a reactive idea rather than a proactive one.


How different are the IPL and ICL to each other?
The IPL is an official sanctioned Twenty20 tournament, and unlike the ICL, which is not recognised by any of the national boards or the ICC, it will have a better status, international reach, players, and the requisite infrastructure by default. Since the IPL is sanctioned by the ICC, players don't have the danger of bringing their international/first-class careers to a halt - as is the case with the ICL - whose players have been banned by the various boards. Another major difference is with regard to franchises - the ownership of the team rests with the individual owners and not one single entity.

Cricinfo - Everything you wanted to know about the Indian Premier League

Squads as of now:

Jaipur Shane Warne (US$ 450,000), Graeme Smith (US$ 475,000), Younis Khan (US$ 225,000), Kamran Akmal (US$ 150,000)

Chennai MS Dhoni (US$ 1.5 million), Muttiah Muralitharan (US$ 600,00), Matthew Hayden (US$ 375,000), Jacob Oram (US$ 675,000), Stephen Fleming (US$ 350,000), Parthiv Patel (US$ 325,000)

Mumbai Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$ 975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$ 850,000)

Bangalore Rahul Dravid (icon), Anil Kumble (US$ 500,000), Jacques Kallis (US$ 900,000), Zaheer Khan (US$ 450,000), Mark Boucher (US$ 450,000)

Hyderabad Adam Gilchrist (US$ 700,000), Andrew Symonds (US$ 1.35 million), Herschelle Gibbs (US$ 575,000), Shahid Afridi (US$ 675,000)

Mohali Yuvraj Singh (icon), Mahela Jayawardene (US$ 475,000), Kumar Sangakkara (US$ 700,000), Brett Lee (US$ 900,000), Sreesanth (US$ 625,000)

Kolkata Sourav Ganguly (icon), Shoaib Akhtar (US$ 425,000), Ricky Ponting (US$ 400,000), Brendon McCullum (US$ 700,000), Chris Gayle (US$ 800,000)

Delhi Virender Sehwag (icon), Daniel Vettori (US$ 625,000), Shoaib Malik (US$ 500,000), Mohammad Asif (US$ 650,000), AB de Villiers (US$ 300,000), Dinesh Karthik (US$ 525,000)

Cricinfo - Breaking News

 

[su-47]

I am not a fan of IPL. I believe that it will take away the essence of cricket, which has always been, playing for your country. Soon players will value their club over thier country cricket, and we'll have something similar to football, where club matches would be the norm and international matches would only be played during the world cup or champions trophy. cricket is about more than money. it is about passion for the game and patriotism. i dont like the idea of plaers placing club over country.

Also, IPL is all about T20. soon after watching match after match of T20, one day cricket and test matches will seem boring to the new generation of viewers. soon T20 will be the only form of cricket, and soon we'll have no tests, few one days, and few international matches.

These are my views. Please share yours.

 

[Energon]

I don't think test matches will be affected because they are still considered the gold standard of cricket despite the advent of ODI's over 25 years ago. ODIs however will be affected because the T20s offer more excitement in a shorter duration of time.

I think cricket, like any sport or other form of entertainment is at the end of the day about money. It just so happens that until modern India came about, nobody wanted to invest massive sums of money into the game like what the Europeans and south Americans did for football or what the Americans did for their local sports. Furthermore, putting a larger emphasis on money IMO really isn't a bad thing provided the game is developed properly and everybody is given a fair shot.

My only problem with the current trend of cricket is that the BCCI is usurping way too much power, and history shows that this is a body that has never been benevolent with it's power status. The way they ran ICL into the ground is a clear indication of BCCI's refusal to engage in healthy competition and instead horde all the power for itself by hook or crook. This is unacceptable and not good for the game. Unfortunately, they have managed to gain such a clout that they are virtually indestructible at this point; and this does not sit well with me.

 

[solid snake]

I think it's a good thing that cricketers will start valuing their club over country. This way cricket fans get to watch more cricket, the teams make more money because games are played more frequently and have higher attendance. It's a win-win.

Also, nobody has time to watch test matches or even one-days anymore. Most sports matches are 2-4 hours, and that is the range in which people's attention span can be maintained. With T20 cricket may even appeal to countries where it is not popular right now.

However, I will not be watching until teams from Pakistani cities are included in such a league. It should be like the NBA, where Canadian and American teams play together.

 

[Energon]

I think it's a good thing that cricketers will start valuing their club over country. This way cricket fans get to watch more cricket, the teams make more money because games are played more frequently and have higher attendance. It's a win-win.

Also, nobody has time to watch test matches or even one-days anymore. Most sports matches are 2-4 hours, and that is the range in which people's attention span can be maintained. With T20 cricket may even appeal to countries where it is not popular right now.

However, I will not be watching until teams from Pakistani cities are included in such a league. It should be like the NBA, where Canadian and American teams play together.

This isn't impossible, but may be a bit difficult. As of right now, the IPL is under the jurisdiction of the BCCI. So if Pakistan wanted to raise teams, they'd first have to find sponsors willing to invest, find players willing to enlist and then seek BCCI's approval. There may be some reservations within Pakistan to be directly subservient to the BCCI.

The PCB however from what I understand are going to have a T20 league of their own.

 

[solid snake]

This isn't impossible, but may be a bit difficult. As of right now, the IPL is under the jurisdiction of the BCCI. So if Pakistan wanted to raise teams, they'd first have to find sponsors willing to invest, find players willing to enlist and then seek BCCI's approval. There may be some reservations within Pakistan to be directly subservient to the BCCI.

The PCB however from what I understand are going to have a T20 league of their own.

The teams don't have to be under the BCCI. A wider body could be formed which includes board members form the PCB and BCCI, who are there to ensure the leauge dosen't hold events which clash with the international cricket calender.

Pakistan is a large market which could add substantial revenue to this league, so it is in its interest to include teams from Pakistani cities. Sponsors will not be hard to find at all. Also Bangladesh and Sri Lanka should be included subsequently.

A system can be devised wherby profits are fairly distributed among the teams, cricket boards and tv broadcasters.

In the US, the national hockey league has several teams from Canada, other than the many US teams.

It's easy to base this cricket league on the same model.

 

[Energon]

^^ This however means that a new league system has to be formed which is different from the IPL.

The BCCI has full rights over the IPL. Essentially the BCCI in this case is equivalent to the NHL, NBA, NFL et al... the sole governing body of the league which requires all its participating teams to abide by it's rules.

 

[solid snake]

^^ This however means that a new league system has to be formed which is different from the IPL.

The BCCI has full rights over the IPL. Essentially the BCCI in this case is equivalent to the NHL, NBA, NFL et al... the sole governing body of the league which requires all its participating teams to abide by it's rules.

Obviously the administration system would have to be changed to include the other South Asian nations.

 

[ashfaque]

It all depends upon profit and there should not be any competitor to BCCI.

 

[Energon]

Obviously the administration system would have to be changed to include the other South Asian nations.

This may be a bit difficult, mostly because of differing broadcasting, advertising and marketing laws in each country. One of the ways the IPL makes money is through televised rights and advertising. As an Indian body, the BCCI can hold issue centralized bids for televising the league matches. This would not be possible if other countries with different groups of media networks were involved; the bidding would not be fair, because most likely the party with the deepest pockets would always win (most likely an Indian network). The same goes for the advertiser/sponsors... who invest into the league and the teams. Tata, Reliance, Kingfisher et al aren't going to be interested in supporting a league when parts of the market are blocked off to their products. The reason the USA and Canada can participate in the same leagues are because both countries are open for business to all the sponsors and televisors. The economic scenarios and the relationships between the south Asian states is very dissimilar to that of North America.

I think for now we are going to have to see how the IPL works out, and support the teams for their players and not necessarily based on the origins of their city. There are ample Pakistani and Sri Lankan superstars in this tournament and it should provide enjoyment for all south Asian cricket lovers.

 

[solid snake]

Well, if they can make the world cup (1996 and 2011) work, then they can make this work.

Problem for me is I just can't get into a league being played in a different country. I want the opportunity to see the games at the stadiums too. It just dosn't feel like "your" league if all the games are being played in another country and you don't see your own city represented.

I used to watch the English Premier Soccer League, but since I came here I don't really care. I'm into the NFL/NHL now.

 

[Energon]

Well, if they can make the world cup (1996 and 2011) work, then they can make this work.

Problem for me is I just can't get into a league being played in a different country. I want the opportunity to see the games at the stadiums too. It just dosn't feel like "your" league if all the games are being played in another country and you don't see your own city represented.

I used to watch the English Premier Soccer League, but since I came here I don't really care. I'm into the NFL/NHL now.

The difference when it comes to the World Cup is that the governing body is the ICC, and not the BCCI, PCB or the Sri Lankan board.

The IPL on the other hand is a market based system that is completely funded by the Indian private sector. As I said before, it wouldn't be completely impossible to extend this into the rest of south Asia, in fact I think that is the eventual intention; however first there needs to be an open market system between all the nations so that the sponsors find it worthwhile. Since this is primarily a market based system, it will be based on demand and supply, which is very different from how the ICC operates. In international cricket, there are some tours that generate a lot of money while many others go for a loss (especially when minnows from impoverished nations like Zimbabwe or Bangladesh are involved); but these tours are conducted on a fixed schedule nonetheless because the ICC laws dictate that a certain number of matches have to be played by all nations regardless of the financial outcomes of the tour. The IPL cannot possibly function on this principle; money has to be the key issue since it's a totally privately funded venture, and the investors will want certain assurances. As of right now, SL, Pakistan or Bangladesh cannot provide the necessary requirements for the sponsors unlike the north American model.

I always thought that the IPL would attract it's base by players instead of locations. I may be wrong. I really would like to know how other non-Indians feel about this league. I was going to start a poll, but surprisingly there don't seem to be too many cricket fans on these boards which would make it impossible for me to obtain any significant data.

For me though it's just the pure love for the game. I have spent most of my adolecense and my entire adult life so far in the US; yet I've never managed to get over the cricket bug that bit me when I lived in the Middle east as a child.

 

[Neo]

Kolkata purchase Akhtar for $425,000, Delhi buy Asif for $650,000 : ​

Dhoni and Symonds breach million-dollar mark at IPL auction​

MUMBAI: India one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Australian Andrew Symonds crossed the million-dollar mark as the world’s top cricketers were auctioned off for the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Chennai bought Dhoni for $1.5 million, which was nearly four times the Indian’s base price of $400,000 in the opening round of the novel sell-off held before the lucrative 44-day tournament’s debut in April. All-rounder Symonds was a close second after going for $1.35 million to the Hyderabad team. Team-mates Brett Lee was bought by Mohali for $900,000 and Ricky Ponting by Kolkata for $400,000. Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik will be joined at Delhi by compatriot Mohammad Asif.
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi went to Hyderabad and middle-order batsman Younis Khan to Jaipur. Eight franchise owners, including corporate tycoons and Bollywood actors, were bidding for 77 cricketers in a pioneering process that
some observers believe will change the face of the game.
“It’s a landmark day. I have not seen anything like this before. It has been amazing,” said IPL governing council member Inderjit Singh Bindra. “This is for the first time that market forces are determining the price of a player. This is how free market economy works.” Each player will receive his auction price as an annual wage over the initial three-year contract. The IPL was conceived to counter the rebel Indian Cricket League, which recently held its tournament in northern India with big names like West Indies’ Brian Lara and Pakistan’s Inzamamul Haq.
The spending of eight teams – Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Mohali – is capped at five million dollars for a maximum of eight overseas players. The tournament, starting on April 18, will be the first time international cricketers will ditch their national allegiances to play for privately owned sides, after organisers raised more than a billion dollars to fund the venture. Matches will be played in 12 Indian cities. Mumbai paid $975,000 for hard-hitting Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and $850,000 for Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was bought by Jaipur at his base price of $450,000, while compatriot Adam Gilchrist went to Hyderabad for $700,000. Record-breaking Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was bought by Chennai for $600,000, while his national captain Mahela Jayawardene went to Mohali for $475,000.
Kolkata bought controversial Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for $425,000 as bidding, orchestrated by English auctioneer Richard Madley, continued at a five-star hotel. A total of 13 Australians were up for grabs, with many expected to attract fierce bidding based on their competitive reputation. Also in the fray were 25 Indians, 11 Sri Lankans, 11 South Africans, eight Pakistanis, five New Zealanders, three West Indians and one Zimbabwean. Indians Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag have been given ‘iconic’ status, which means they will not be auctioned off and will lead their home teams. Each will get 15 percent more than the highest-paid player in his side. Cricket Australia’s restrictions that bar more than two of its players from appearing in the same team also adds to the tournament’s competitive flavour. The IPL is the brainchild of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and is backed by the International Cricket Council.

IPL player auction results

Highest bids

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India – Chennai, $1.5 million
Andrew Symonds, Australia – Hyderabad, $1.35 million
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka – Mumbai, $975, 000
Brett Lee, Australia – Mohali, $900,000
Jacques Kallis, South Africa – Bangalore $900,000
Harbhajan Singh, India – Mumbai, $850,000
Chris Gayle, West Indies – Calcutta, $800,000
Adam Gilchrist, Australia – Hyderabad, $700,000
Brendon McCullum, New Zealand – Calcutta, $700,000
Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka – Mohali, $700,000

Teams:

Chennai:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India, $1.5 million
Jacob Oram, New Zealand, $675,000
Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka, $600,000
Matthew Hayden, Australia, $375,000
Stephen Fleming, New Zealand, $350,000
Parthiv Patel, India, $325,000

Mumbai:

Sachin Tendulkar, India
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka, $975,000
Harbhajan Singh, India, $850,000

Hyderabad:

Andrew Symonds, Australia, $ 1.35 million
Adam Gilchrist, Australia, $700,000
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan, $675,000
Herschelle Gibbs, South Africa, $ 575,000

Mohali:

Yuvraj Singh, India
Brett Lee, Australia, $900,000
Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka, $700,000
Shantakumaran Sreesanth, India, $625,000
Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka, $475,000

Bangalore:

Rahul Dravid, India
Jacques Kallis, South Africa, $900,000
Anil Kumble, India, $500,000
Zaheer Khan, Bangalore, $450,000
Mark Boucher, South Africa, $450,000

Jaipur:

Graeme Smith, South Africa, $475,000
Shane Warne, Australia, $450,000
Younis Khan, Pakistan, $225,000
Kamran Akmal, Pakistan, $150,000

Calcutta:

Sourav Ganguly, India
Chris Gayle, West Indies, $800,000
Brendon McCullum, New Zealand, $700,000
Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan, $425,000
Ricky Ponting, Australia, $400,000

Delhi:

Virender Sehwag, India
Mohammad Asif, Pakistan, $650,000
Daniel Vettori, New Zealand, $625,000
Dinesh Karthik, India, $525,000
Shoaib Malik, Pakistan, $500,000
AB de Villiers, South Africa, $300,000. afp

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Energon]

Wow. I can't believe the numbers being thrown around here.

 

[solid snake]

The difference when it comes to the World Cup is that the governing body is the ICC, and not the BCCI, PCB or the Sri Lankan board.

You were talking about the different broadcasting, marketing and advertising laws in each country. I don't see what difference it makes if it's the ICC organizing a tournament or the BCCI or a new south asian cricket board. The WC is broadcasat, advertised, and marketed across south asia as was seen in 2006 and as will be seen in 2011.

It's very easy to expand this league. In fact, once this league expands to include all South Asian countries, I doubt people will care about the ICC at all. Cricket fans will be content with the league games. I'm pretty sure fans would like to see 32 high quality, competitive teams instead of 8 or however many there are in the IPL at the moment.

Europe has it's soccer Champions League which is immensly popular. This tournament could be modelled around that tournament.

Also, every single game played between Pakistani/Indian clubs will generate a profit. Even Pak v Pak club games and Ind v Ind games will generate profit, so that is not a worry. When the brightest cricket stars from over the world are playing, there is no problem as far as profit goes. Maybe a game involving a team from Dhaka and a team from Mumbai may not generate a profit if it's played in Mumbai, but it sure will if it's played in Dhaka.

More clubs, more games, more ticket sales, more team related fanshop sales, more tv viewers, more cha-ching for everybody.