IPL returns, set for another blast
Rohit Mahajan
Chandigarh, March 7
The night India lost to Australia in the semifinal of the World Cup at Sydney, talking about the rule changes that have made scoring easier in ODI cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni said: “I feel even a lot of sixes and a lot of fours also make it very boring.”
That, however, is not the view a large number of people, fans of Twenty20 cricket, take. The IPL begins tomorrow, 60 matches featuring sixers, fours, sixers and more sixers. Purists are not fans of the T20 format, but it has one basic advantage over the other formats of the sport – practically every match will go into the last overs of the second innings. That’s the ideal scenario for any sport – high excitement in the final stages of the contest.
In the recent World Cup, only four of the 49 matches went into the final over of the second innings. In three of these games, the team batting second had a realistic chance of winning, and it won on each occasion.
In IPL 2014, 17 of the 60 matches were decided in the last over of the second innings. In 15 of these matches, both teams had an equal chance of winning – 14 times the teams batting second won. Another 12 matches were decided in the 19th over.
That’s the advantage of Twenty20 cricket enjoys over Tests and ODIs. When unequal teams play in Tests or ODIs, it results in an unequal, unexciting contest. But in Twenty20 cricket, even when the teams are not equal in strength, the contest can be exciting.
Low-grade cricket, high excitement
The shortened format evens the playing field – the range of genius players is reduced. Thus great players and great teams are at par with average players and teams. Thus you could have a Paul Valthaty or Swapnil Asnodkar outshining Sachin Tendulkar; or Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and Ajit Chandila taking hat-tricks. Suresh Raina, who struggles to put bat to ball against top bowlers in challenging conditions, is the top run-scorer in the IPL.
However, the low-grade cricket on show signifies nothing to the audience of the IPL – sixers and fours are hit with regularity, and it’s great to be out on the ground, chewing the burger and sipping the cola. The quality of cricket is incidental.
Everyone wins
In the seven IPLs from 2008, five different teams have won the tournament. Anyone can win the tournament, and eventually, everyone will win it. This is consistent with the results of Twenty20 tournaments across the world. The Twenty20 World Cup has been played five times, and there have been five different winners.
These are the big strengths of Twenty20 cricket – action and unpredictability.
There will be a lot of that over the course the next 47 days, when a new champion will be crowned.
Here’s A quick lowdown on all eight teams and their chances in the 8th season of the tournament
Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have been doing what no one else does in the IPL- pack their side with bowlers. In the squad of 20, they have at least ten full-time bowlers, and quite a few all-rounders. It makes their bowling menacing but leaves their batting a little thin. But given their record in the last couple of seasons, who could question the make-up of the team? Nevertheless, skipper Gautam Gambhir and his opening partner Robin Uthappa will need to shoulder much of the burden on batting front.
X-factor
Their slow bowlers, led by West Indian mystery spinner Sunil Narine. He will be spoilt for choice in picking his partner, with the likes of leggie Piyush Chawla, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, offie Johan Botha, left-arm Shakin al Hasan and others in the squad.
Squad: Indian players: Gautam Gambhir (capt), Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Veer Pratap Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sumit Narwal, Sheldon Jackson, Aditya Garhwal, KC Cariappa, Vaibhav Rawal.
Overseas players: Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Morne Morkel, Pat Cummins, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Andre Russell, Brad Hogg, Azhar Mahmood, Johan Botha.
Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab created quite a furore last time and they look good for a repeat performance. Unlike KKR, Kings XI rely more on their batting prowess, which is anyway quite intimidating. The addition of M Vijay, who will partner Virender Sehwag at the top, has added more muscle to their batting. Compared to their batting, packed with power hitters like Sehwag, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, their bowling looks too dependent on Mitchell Johnson and Axar Patel.
X-factor
Glenn Maxwell, the Big Show, is their most lethal weapon. The Australian gave more than a glimpse of his resourceful and destructive batting in the World Cup; in the IPL, with a license to go all out from ball one, will be doubly dangerous.
Squad: Indian players: Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra, Wriddhiman Saha, Murali Vijay, Axar Patel, Anureet Singh, Gurkeerat Mann, Karanveer Singh, Parvinder Awana, Rishi Dhawan, Sandeep Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Sharma, Nikhil Naik, Yogesh Golwalkar.
Overseas players: George Bailey (capt), Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Thisara Perera.
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent team in the IPL and they will start as the red-hot favourites this year too. Their unchanged core, comprising MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, R Ashiwn and Ravindra Jadeja, and their balance make them one of the toughest teams to beat in the competition. They looked a little short on pace but the arrival of Kyle Abbot has plugged that loophole too. In short, they have the team for all conditions and situations the opposition could possibly push them into.
X-factor
It has to be their talismanic skipper MS Dhoni. The captain cool is at his coolest and tactical best in the shortest format. As a batsman, too, Dhoni loves this format and brings out wide variety of strokes in the competition.
Squad: Indian players: MS Dhoni (capt), Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohit Sharma, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Baba Aparajith, Ishwar Pandey, Mithun Manhas, Ronit More, Rahul Sharma, Ankush Bains, Irfan Pathan, Pratyush Singh, Eklavya Dwivedi.
Overseas players: Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Faf Du Plessis, Matt Henry, Samuel Badree, Michael Hussey, Kyle Abbott, Andrew Tye.
Mumbai Indians
If matches could be decided by how the teams look on paper, the Mumbai Indians would have won in all seven seasons, instead of winning just once. Just like Chennai Super Kings, they too have a stable core in skipper Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh. Throw in the likes of Aaron Finch, Corey Anderson and Josh Hazelwood and the team looks almost unbeatable. On paper, of course. In Ricky Ponting, they have a coach who knows how to win titles.
X-factor
Their star all-rounders Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson. While Pollard missed the World Cup, Anderson gave a good account of his abilities at the biggest stage. Together, they could turn any game on its head with both bat and ball.
Squad: Indian players: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ambati Rayudu, Parthiv Patel, Aditya Tare, Harbhajan Singh, Vinay Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Pawan Suyal, Shreyas Gopal, Pragyan Ojha, A Mithun, Akshay Wakhare, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Pandya, J Suchitch, Unmukt Chand.
Overseas players: Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson, Josh Hazlewood, Marchant De Lange, Lendl Simmons, Aaron Finch, M McClenaghan, Aiden Blizzard.
Rajasthan Royals
This is one team that doesn't believe in crowding the squad with big names. They have always gone for lesser known players but have managed to get the best out of them. No wonder then, they have mostly finished in the upper half of the table after winning in the inaugural season. The Royals have a pretty settled look, thanks to the team sticking with their tried and tested players. Rahul Dravid as their mentor brings solid work ethics and calmness to the side.
X-factor
Steve Smith, the best batsman in the world at the moment. The baby-faced Australian is yet to stamp his class in the shortest format but no one will be surprised if he does so this time around. For that, he just needs to carry his World Cup form into the IPL.
Squad: Indian players: Stuart Binny, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Rajat Bhatia, Dhawal Kulkarni, Abhishek Nayar, Deepak Hooda, Dishant Yagnik, Vikramjeet Malik, Ankit Sharma, Rahul Tewatia, Pravin Tambe, Dinesh Salunkhe, Pradeep Sahu, Barinder Saran, Sagar Trivedi.
Overseas players: Shane Watson (capt), James Faulkner, Steve Smith, Tim Southee, Kane Richardson, Ben Cutting, Chris Morris, Juan Theron.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
They are the jokers in the pack, thanks to their enviable pace attack. In Dale Steyn and Trent Boult, they will have the most lethal new-ball attack, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Ishant coming in as first change. But with Kevin Pietersen pulling out at the last minute to play county cricket, their batting looks a little thin. The top looks good with David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson occupying the first three slots but the middle appears a little vulnerable.
X-factor
David Warner. The diminutive Australia opener could be a real pain for the opposition, both with his willow and his combative approach. He hasn’t been in top form of late but he could be just one game away from getitng it back.
Squad: Indian players: Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Naman Ojha, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Reddy, Ricky Bhui, Chama Milind, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Praveen Kumar, Hanuma Vihari, Prasanth Padmanabhan, Siddarth Kaul.
Overseas players: David Warner (capt), Kane Williamson, Dale Steyn, Moses Henriques, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Trent Boult.
Royal Challengers
Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Darren Sammy… Royal Challengers Bangalore have the most destructive players of the shortest format in their line-up. Yet, they haven't been as successful as they should have been with the star-studded line they have had. While they always had the batting firepower, they lacked in bowling. This time, though, they seem to have addressed the issue. Mitchell Starc and Adam Milne will make a solid new-ball pair; unfortunately they will miss the first few games owing to injuries.
X-factor
AB de Villiers, easily the most destructive and innovative batsman in the modern day game. If he gets going, no team has the bowler who could rein him in. The other RCB batsmen just need to give him the platform from where he could blast the opposition.
Squad: Indian players: Virat Kohli (capt), Dinesh Karthik, Subramaniam Badrinath, Vijay Zol, Manvinder Bisla, Varun Aaron, Ashok Dinda, Harshal Patel, Abu Nechim, Sandeep Warrier, Yogesh Takawale, Yuzvendra Chahal, Iqbal Abdulla, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Shishir Bhavane.
Overseas players: AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle, Mitchell Starc, Nic Maddinson, Rilee Rossouw, Darren Sammy, Sean Abbott, Adam Milne, David Wiese.
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils come across completely confused about the team they want to be, the players they want. Every season, for the last couple of years, they wear an overhauled look. It's no different this time too, what with them roping in Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Angelo Mathews and Amit Mishra. This chop and change approach has seen them finish at the bottom of the heap in the last two seasons. Can they deliver, with JP Duminy appointed as skipper, this time ? Looks unlikely.
X-factor
Yuvraj Singh. And the reason for that is the money the team has splurged on him; they bought him for a record Rs 16 crore. The left-hander however will need to lift his game by several notches to justify the price he has come for.
Squad: Indian players: Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Jaidev Unadkat, Zaheer Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Saurabh Tiwary, Jayant Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, CM Gautam, Srikar Bharat, KK Jiyas, Domnic Joseph.
Overseas players: JP Duminy (capt), Quinton De Kock, Imran Tahir, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Angelo Mathews, Gurinder Sandhu, T Head, A Morkel, Markus Stoinis.
