The Idiot's Guide To The IPL - Part Four

You've been accosted by the friendly Indian waiter at your local curry house, and having read the first few parts of this Idiot's Guide have blabbered something vaguely coherent about the confusing format and the expensive teams. But what to do now he sighs and complains about the Citi Moment of Successes? Read on for The Idiot's Guide to the IPL - Part Four!


Money

Much of the point of the IPL is making money. Hence the ridiculously convoluted fixture list. If you watch even 10 minutes of coverage of the IPL, you'll see the money-making in action. While regular watchers of test cricket will probably see an advert every 15 minutes (plus longer ones at the innings intervals or at drinks), it's not uncommon to see advertisements after each delivery of the IPL. The coverage of the IPL is watched by literally millions each day, so each second of airtime is worth plenty, and up for grabs. "Dead" seconds are wasted money-making opportunities, so look out for frequent adverts while the fast bowler's walking back to his mark, or other similiar times where the action isn't a million miles an hour.

These adverts help keep the IPL at the forefront of the money-making industry, and on top of that, they've managed to get companies to sponsor individual things that happen. So here's the complete list of IPL jargon.


Jargon

DLF Maximum - Said whenever someone clears the rope. (In English - Six runs)

Karbon Kamal Catch - When someone plucks the ball out of the sky without it bouncing. (English - a catch)

Citi Moment of Success - Something good that happens. (English - usually a wicket, but could be a good bit of fielding or something)

MRF Blimp - A big floating thing in the sky. (English - a big balloon)


So you know the format. You know the teams. You can even tell your DLFs from your MRFs. I think you're ready to enjoy the IPL, and not be an idiot. Well, be as much as an idiot as me.


*NOTE - I've had some messages pointing out that "The Idiot's Guide" contains an incorrect apostrophe. Well, it doesn't, as I was calling myself an idiot, so as such, the apostrophe is correctly placed. Up your's.

The Idiot's Guide To The IPL - Part Three

Yesterday was the teams of Group A. Now it's Group B's turn.

Group B


Kolkata Knight Riders - Led by Sourav Ganguly for the first three years, the KKR disappointed massively, being the only team to never make the semi-finals. However, Ganguly wasn't retained for this year (or even picked up by any other team), and they'll now be led by Gautam Gambhir. The KKR have some excellent all-rounders in Shakib Al-Hasan, Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate, as well as Eoin Morgan (and Gambhir himself) which will lead to a very strong batting line-up. The bowling will be led by experienced Brett Lee, and he'll work alongside young buck James Pattinson (brother of England legend Darren). Could have a chance if it all comes together, but will need the lesser known Indian players to really step up.


Kochi Tuskers Kerala - The other new franchise this year, Kochi have spent big to try and get off to a good start. They'll be captained by Mahela Jayawardene, and will trust in big guns Brendon McCullum, VVS Laxman and Muttiah Muralitheran. While they have recruited plenty of overseas names, not many of them are the big international stars seen in the other teams, but the KTK will hope they can elevate Kochi in a season where expectations appear fairly high.


Royal Challengers Bangalore - Like Kochi, the RCB have a smattering of big names but will have to rely on some lesser known Indians to lead them to success. Captained this year by Virat Kohli, they do have the big names of Dan Vettori, Tillekeratne Dilshan and Zaheer Khan alongside T20 specialists Dirk Nannes and Charl Langevelt, and could be in with a chance if they get off to a good start.


Rajasthan Royals - Shane Warne's inaugral winners of IPL1 have had their ups and downs ever since (poor seasons ultimately followed by expulsion, then reversal of that decision), and as always, the Royals are the underdogs who can thrive on their status. With Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson and Ross Taylor in the side the batting will be strong, and the Royals will have canny Johan Botha and Paul Collingwood in there as well. Warne aside, the trump card can be Shaun Tait. If he stays match fit he can be devastating. The Royals have had a habit of unearthing superb unknown Indians, and they will hope that this year is no different. They may have to rely on the local talent if they are to achieve anything this year.


Chennai Super Kings - The reigning champions are very strong, and are some people's favourites to take home the IPL crown again. Led by World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni, there is strength throughout, with Suresh Raina and Mike Hussey as batsmen, all-rounders in Albie Morkel, Dwayne Bravo, Scott Styris and Faf du Plessis, and strong bowling in Doug Bollinger, Tim Southee, Nuwan Kulasekara and Ravichandran Ashwin. Could go a long way in the competition.


So there's the teams of Group B, following yesterday's appraisal of Group A. If you want my honest thoughts - Chennai and Mumbai are favourites, but a team like Pune or Kolkata could come from nowhere to shock a few. Check back tomorrow for some another Idiot's Guide to the IPL.

The Idiot's Guide To The IPL - Part Two

So you've spent the past 24 hours absorbing the format. So now you've bluffed your way through that chat with the friendly IPL fan, what to say when he asks about the teams? Who are your men to watch, who are the teams who will be involved at the business end of the tournament (sometime in 2015)? Fret no longer, as The Idiot's Guide to the IPL Part Two is here!

So who are the favourites this year? Well, the bookies make Sachin Tendulkar's (you may have heard of him) Mumbai Indians the shortest price, followed by Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After that, it's the also-rans and the rest.

While Mumbai had a great year last year, and Chennai even won it, technically the previous editions shouldn't have any bearing. A new auction was set up, with the talent being supposedly evenly spread around the various franchises (although the teams were allowed to retain the services of four top players from previous years). And while some teams have hoarded the big name overseas players, the rules say that only 4 non-Indians can play at any one time. So let's have a look at the various teams that will contest IPL4.

In today's Idiot's Guide I'll have a look at the five teams in Group A, while tomorrow will be Group B.

Group A


Mumbai Indians - Captained by Sachin, and keeping hold of some big name players, Mumbai are favourites this year. With Kieron Pollard, Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds they'll hit big, and in Lasith Malinga they have a deadly player with the ball. Downside is that there are nine overseas players - who may not be too pleased if they're on the bench every game. Squad perhaps a bit top heavy, with some huge names followed by some not very big ones, but the MI will hope the lesser known guys can step up to complement the big performances of the stars.


Delhi Daredevils - Choosing only to retain Virender Sehwag, who captains the side, the Daredevils selected a almost completely new squad from before. Only Sehwag and South Africa's Morne Morkel were at the World Cup, which could play into their hands compared to the fatigue of other teams. The DD have "taken punts" on a few players, with lesser known overseas Aussies Travis Birt, Matthew Wade and Aaron Finch all getting selected - but they've all excelled in the Big Bash so could really pay off. Big hitting David Warner will return at the top of the order as well. The Daredevils have gone for inexperienced players who could pay off spectacularly, but then again, the lack of star players may count against them as they could slump in form. Will be interesting to see how they go.


Deccan Chargers - After winning IPL2 (the South African one) under the stewardship of Adam Gilchrist, the Chargers released all of their players and started again. Now with a new wicket-keeper/captain in Kumar Sangakkara, the Chargers have a completely new squad, filled with some big names. While they will probably miss Kevin Pietersen for the tournament due to injury, Dale Steyn, Sangakkara, JP Duminy and Cameron White are all big names and proven T20 players, as well as having local internationals such as Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and MS Gony on the books. Could be dark horses as have strength in both batting and bowling.


Kings XI Punjab - Deccan's loss is Punjab's gain, as Adam Gilchrist comes in to captain the Kings XI, who have been the whipping boys of previous IPL's. However, in Gilchrist, David Hussey and Dinesh Karthik, Punjab have players who have been there and done it in T20s, as well as handy players in Piyush Chawla, Ryan McLaren and Shaun Marsh. Not much is expected of the Kings XI, but they will hope to improve on the previous disappointments.


Pune Warriors India - Not a great deal is known about the new boys Pune, but they're captained by World Cup Man of the Moment Yuvraj, as well as boasting the likes of Jesse Ryder, Angelo Mathews, Graeme Smith and world's greatest T20 bowler ever Alfonso Thomas. Not much is known about the Warriors, and as such, could spring a few surprises.


So there's the teams of Group A. Check back tomorrow for some Idiot's Guides to the teams of Group B.

An Idiot's Guide To The IPL - Part One

So, you're a cricket fan. You've probably had a cursory glance at this year's IPL, and not really understood it. Don't worry, you're not alone. Here's the first part of the "Idiot's Guide To the IPL 2011".

The format

The last few years, the IPL's been a pretty easy tournament to understand. There are eight teams, who all play each other twice. So 14 games per team in the groups. While it may not be the shortest tournament in the world, it was pretty easy to understand. The top four in the group stage went through to the semi-finals, before the semis and the finals determined the winners. Easy enough.

However, IPL4 (as it shall henceforth be known) isn't that simple. The addition of two new teams mean that having a double round-robin league stage simply wouldn't be feasible, as the 94 games that would entail would mean we'd be still playing IPL cricket in December. So, the organisers of the IPL in their infinite wisdom, have created what could be the single-handedly most confusing format ever. So here it is.

The two teams are split into two groups of five. Each team plays the others in their group home and away. Understandable? Good. Then, they play one of the teams of the other group (assigned by a random draw) home and away too. After that, they will also play against the other four teams in the opposite group in a one-off game.

So they'll play against five teams home and away (four from their group, plus one other), and then against the other four teams either home or away.

You may want to read through that a few times, just so you can get your head around it. I've simplified it as much as I can, but I'm still struggling to comprehend it.

Here are the groups.

The groups are used just so they can work out the fixtures, but everyone gets put into one big league table so they can work out the knockout stages. Again, this is complicated, so pay attention.

Instead of straight knockout cricket, the tournament is organised as such:

The winners of the league (1) play off against the team who came second (2) in Game A. The team who came third (3) take on the fourth team (4) in Game B.

Whoever wins Game A goes straight into the final. Whoever loses Game A, however, goes into a knockout game with the winner of Game B (which is called Game C). Whoever wins Game C faces off against the winners of Game A in the final. Get it?

Basically it's designed to reward the top teams in the league, by granting them a second chance after losing their first playoff game. Conversely, it also makes it harder for the 3rd and 4th placed league teams, as they would have to win three playoff games to take home the IPL crown.

If you still don't quite get it, here's a neat flow diagram.

Understand all of that? Don't worry if it's massively confusing, just check back to this guide, and all will be made easy. Sort of.

Come back tomorrow for your idiot's guide to the teams!