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7/30/2019 WisdenIndia Extra Issue 2
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ipl-vi pREviEW
SOURAV GANGULY | KIERON POLLARD | RYAN tEN DOESchAtE | ERIc SImONS |
DILEEP PREmAchANDRAN | R KAUShIK | ANGELA cARSON | NEIL mANthORP
a league lessordinary
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WISDEN INDIA EXtRA cONtENtS
Editors NotE
iNtroductioN
By Sourav Ganguly
Big PicturE
thE tv dEal
markEt forcE
ovErsEas stars
- dalE stEyN
By Neil Manthorp
- kiEroN Pollard
- ryaN tEN doEschatE
- shakiB al hasaN
thE rolE of thE coach
By Eric Simons
Quiz
thE Physio aNd iPl Physics
chEErlEadErs
thE faNs
CONTENTS
the big bang
Powered by a 48-ball 89rom Manvinder Bisla (th
rom let), KKR romped homeby ve wickets against CSKin the IPL-V nal in 2012 to
win their rst IPL trophy.
SHADRI SUKUMAR/AFP/GEttyIMAGES
he cover: MAnjUnAtH KIRAn/AFP/GEttyIMAGES
2
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ISSUE 2, APRIL 2013
changed lives, and even subsidised other
cricket boards in exchange for their no-
objection certicates.
The suspicion remains that the schedule
is too bloated and abby six weeks and 76
games but the crowds continue to turn up.
So do the players, including the elite. Those
that miss out grumble and may refuse to sign
central contracts in the future.
Five years after Monkeygate, Ricky Ponting
will captain Harbhajan Singh and Sachin
Tendulkar. Rahul Dravid will take his last
bows. Millions will ock to the grounds,
including new venues at Raipur and
Ranchi. Many more will follow the action
on TV, complete with breathless overhyped
commentary. Love it or loathe it, the IPL is
not going anywhere. Its here to stay.
The second edition of the Wisden India
Extra takes you inside the IPL and gives
you many dierent perspectives. The
views of players, coaches, physios, fans, T
producers and even cheerleaders each
them addressing the good, the bad and th
sometimes ugly. We hope you have as mu
fun reading it as we did putting it togeth
Dileep Premachandra
editor-in-chief atWisden India. Fo
him on Twitter @SpiceBoxofE
The laser shw and BrendnMcCullums even mre
vivid strokeplay in the rst
Indian Premier League game.husands f Klkata fans walking in
earch f transprt after midnight n
abindra Jaanti. Shane Warne talkingp his unknwn plaers and eventuall
uiding them t the title. Tendulkar
gainst Warne in Durban. Cmplimentarttles f wine in the press bx in Prt
lizabeth. Manish Pandes herics nmst un-Indian pitch at Centurin.
mnds and Gilchrist reaching
ack t the glr ears t deliver an
nexpected win.
Hayden and his Mongoose. Chennai Super
ings nally shedding the bridesmaids garb.
alit Modi and one tweet too many. A post-
World Cup IPL that left most cold. A Kochi
eam that lasted only a season. The Chargers
countdown to extinction three years after
winning the trophy. Kolkatas shirt changes,
and a trophy after seasons of ridicule.
Overpriced ops. Undervalued gems. Think
of the IPL and many of these images, eeting
or not, form a kaleidoscope in my mind.
On the verge of its sixth season, crickets
richest league continues to divide opinion.
The most passionate followers view it as the
Promised Land, and Modi, who envisaged it,
as a Prophet. Its detractors see it as a bully
with two stfuls of dollars, whose excesses
have irrevocably altered crickets nancial
ecosystem for the worse. The Greatest Show
on Earth or The Great Satan theres rarelya middle ground.
The reality is, of course, more nuanced.
Like a small child whos gone beyond baby
steps without being able to sprint, the IPL is
still nding its way and its place in the larger
scheme of things. Its lucrative contracts have
Editors NotE
Contributors:Sourav Ganguly, R Kaushik, Shamya Dasgupta, Sidhanta Patnaik, Neil Manthorp, Kieron Pollard, Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan,
Eric Simons, Dileep V, Saurabh Somani, Angela Car son, Manoj Narayan | Compiled byManish Adhikary | Designed byAshish Mohanty
4
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ThaT ExTraziNg TO ighTB s gn
If I was t be perfectl hnest, m
generatin had n idea hw big
Twent20 was ging t be. After
we nished the tour of England
n 2007, I remember Rahul Dravid,
hen Indias captain, telling us thathe ungsters shuld g fr the Wrld
went20 turnament in Suth Africa.
We had wn the Test series in England
nd, a few das after the Wrld T20,ustralia were due t tur India fr a
ne-da series. We thught we wuldest and start afresh against Australia.
MS Dhoni ended up captaining the team
o South Africa, and we all know what
happened next. The rst IPL auction a few
months later was also another clue as to
how big it would become. The prices paid
for players seemed like madness at the time.
Now, its common.
My mind often goes back to the rst IPL
game in Bangalore. The atmosphere was just
electrifying. Over my career, I went out to toss
quite a few times, for India, Bengal and others.
But that rst game when Rahul and
I went out, it was like a carnival music,
colour, noise and the excitement of the
unknown. Brendon McCullums hitting just
added to that.
That rst season, Kolkata Knight
Riders played Rahul and RCB once more,
on Rabindro Jayanti in Kolkata. Rain
delayed the start and the match nished
long after midnight. But there were still
50000-plus inside. That brought home
to us just how much people had taken
to the new format. With the added city
sentiment, it was a dierent high.
For me, that sense of identication
with a city was the best part of playing
the IPL, even with so many international
stars there. People often asked if it
wasnt awkward playing against your
India teammates. I never found it to be
so. If anything, it
gave you that extra
zing to ght it out
against those who
were usually your
colleagues.
If it was possible, I would try and
improve the local connect. You look at
the following that the top European andSouth American football teams get in the
cities we see the same in Kolkata, with
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and so
much of that is because of a sense of loca
pride. Going forward, that sense of ident
is what the IPL needs to nurture most.
blazing sta
McCullum set the stor IPL I by craca 73-ball 158 in
very rst match oseason, against RCB
Bangalore in 20
INtRODUctION
DIByAnGSHU SAR
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When the Indian Premier
League was initiall
cnceptualised and thenunveiled amid great
anfare, there was excitement, es, but
here was als great apprehensin. Frne thing, the Twent20 game had et
intrude upn the imaginatin f the
verage Indian cricket fan. Fr anther, ne was sure hw cit-based franchises
wuld be received b audiences.
It was a sign of the times that even as the
PL was being launched formally, a new-
ook Indian team was quietly making its way
hrough the draw at the inaugural World
wenty20 in South Africa.
In September 2007, Mahendra Singh
Dhoni was only a little more than a bit
player, so no one raised an eyebrow when he
was missing from the ocia l launch. Today,
Dhoni is the undisputed superstar of Ind ian
cricket, just as the IPL is the behemoth of
domestic leagues worldwide.
Its worth remembering that India were
reluctant participants in the rst World
T20. Indian administrators frowned uponthe 20-over version, introduced a decade
ago in England to revive waning interests
in cricket, dismissing it as a hit-and-
giggle routine that the Indian landscape
could do without. The emergence of the
Indian Cricket League, a rebel tournament,
ivE yEarS ON,
iPl mOjO riSiNgB r k
somewhat forced the Board of Control of
Cricket in Indias hand, but few would have
envisaged the runaway success that the IPL
has become over the last ve seasons.
There is no gain saying what course
the domestic competition with an
international flavour would have taken
had Dhonis men not gone all the way in
South Africa. India had played exactly
one Twenty20 International before theirAfrican adven ture. That the BCCI sat
the seniors out showed exactly what
they thought of a competition they only
entered, it has been whispered, after being
promised the right to stage the 50-over
World Cup in 2011 .
The success of
the IPL, particularly
in its first year, was
a direct fallout of
the national teams
exploits in South
Africa. Yuvraj Singh
irrevocably trained a nations eyes on
unfamiliar format with six sixes in an
off Stuart Broad, and when S Srees
held on to a Misbah-ul-Haq catch signalled Indias triumph over Paki
in the final, not only did it tri
an outpouring of national pride
celebration, it also piqued the intere
Twenty20 cricket of the hitherto blas
Talk about timing.
thE bIG PIctURE
surprise vict
India, the reluctaconverts, saw in BCCIs viewormat ater the
won the inaWorld T20 in
DUIF DU toIt/GAllo IMAGES/GEtty
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Any fears that the IPL, ushered in with
reat pomp and ceremony as cricket and
ntertainment became strange bedfellows
nce the BCCI embraced the T20 concept
wholeheartedly, might not be well rece ived
were a llayed on the very rst d ay of action
n IPL I. In front of a packed gathering at
he M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore
hat was unsure of what to expect but wasertain that there would be value for money,
rendon McCullum exploded in sensational
ashion. The spectacular reworks during
he opening ceremony paled in comparison
s McCullum, turning out for Kolkata Knight
iders, subjected the Royal Challengers
Bangalore bowling
to a most brutal
assault, smashing
an unbeaten 158.
It was exhilarating
stu. Bangaloreans
couldnt help but appreciate and admire the
quality of McCullums batsmanship. Thatsaid, while franchise loyalty had obviously
yet to take root, the home crowd wasnt
amused to see its bowlers being taken to the
cleaners. Even that at early stage, though, it
became apparent that with the passage of
time, fans would identify with their teams.
turning tables
Modi was a picture orelie as he watched the
IPL opening ceremonyunold in Cape Town in2009, ater the league
was orced out o Indiadue to general elections.
R KAUShIK
As the years have progressed, so has
the IPL grown as a brand, as an event, as a
wonderfully heady and potent cocktail of
cricket, entertainment and drama. Its place
in the cricketing landscape is now rmly
established; for eight weeks every April and
May, evenings are set aside, the ght for
remotes non-existent because Twenty20
cricket has successfully won its battle with
tear-jerking soap operas.
The IPL itself has evolved hugely from its
early days. David Hussey told Wisden India
about how IPL I was mainly about after-match parties and sponsor events. The
cricket was almost secondary, he recalled,
whereas now, its fully about the cricket. The
rst year, everyone thought it was just a new
competition that was all about a lot of fun but
now its big business. Everyone wants to make
the nals, qualify for the Champions League.
Inevitably, the IPL has courted
controversy, as an event of this magnitude
invariably will. Much of the early controversy
stemmed from the words, and sometimes
deeds, of Lalit Modi, the mercurial former
chairman of the league. He dared the Indian
government in 2009, the year of the general
elections, and took the second edition of the
IPL to South Africa. The tournament was a
resounding success, not least because ofthe huge Indian settlement there, and Modi
considered it a personal coup because he put
on an impeccable show in an alien land at
very short notice.
By the second edition, Pakistani
participation in the IPL was restricte
the commentary box and the coac
sta. The uncertain political climate in
wake of the Mumbai attacks in Novem
2008 meant franchise owners were w
of signing Pakistani players. This led
misplaced sense of outrage and betr
across the border, but that didnt make
much of a dierence with franchise ow
steadfastly steering clear of bidding
Pakistan players at the auctions. Not u
IPL-V, when Azhar Mahmood, now a Brcitizen, turned out for Kings XI Punjab,
Pakistani play again in the tournament
unlikely, given the current political clim
that Pakistani players will be seen in ac
in IPL VI, however much one might tr
keep politics and sport separate.
The rst ocial Twentmatch was played in 2
in England, and the international betw
Australia and New Zealin 2005. India went i
the 2007 ICC WoTwenty20 having pla
just one match until t
against South AfricDecember 20
Cm
Ball
thE bIG PIctURE
M SHAw/GEtty IMAGES
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Modi bit o more than he could chew by
mplying that then Union Minister Shashi
haroor had a role to play in the Kochi
anchise winning a successful bid for IPL-
V as the league expanded into a ten-team
ompetition. Minutes after the nal of
PL-III had been completed at the DY Patil
tadium in Navi Mumbai, the man primarily
redited with the resounding success of the
PL was suspended on disciplinary grounds,
harges of nancial irregularities having
ubsequently been probed, and proven,
y investigative agencies. Modi, brash and
brasive, hadnt endeared himself to many
when he ruled the IPL with an iron st. Few
ympathised with him, therefore, when he
ell on bad times.
Ownership patterns continued to haunt
he IPL with Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI
unjab both having to win legal battles to
verturn their suspensions. Kochi Tuskers
erala, however, were less fortunate ashey were disbanded after just one edition.
PL-V was consequently reduced to a
ine-team affair. Just a few months ago,
eccan Chargers were terminated as an
PL franchise. The Hyderabad team has
nce been bought by the Sun Television
network and goes into IPL-VI as Sunrisers
Hyderabad.
On the eld, few have been as dominant
as Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni has led the
team astutely and steered them to at least the
seminals in all ve editions. The Super Kings
have won the title twice and have made the
nals on two other occasions, marking them
as the most consistent team over the years.
Chennai have reiterated the signicance
of continuity by sticking to the core group
from season one, both in terms of on-eld
personnel and backroom support sta.
Dhonis stock grew exponentially with the
Super Kings success, as did that of Suresh
Raina, M Vijay and, most dramatically, R
Ashwin. Ashwin , the ospinner, had already
taken 50 rst-class wickets but he wasnt
noticed by the fans or the selectors until
his IPL exploits. Virat Kohli, Rahul Sharma,
Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan, among
others, took the IPL route to the nationalteam; equally, impact players faded away
rapidly. Swapnil Asnodkar, Kamran Khan,
Amit Singh, Paul Valthaty, Harmeet Singh
all young men who ourished briey,
but who disappeared as dramatically as
they broke through.
Gayle, the Jamaican with tattoos andlowing dreadlocks, has single-handedlypropelled the IPL into the stratosphere.
R KAUShIK
Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Rahul
Dravid, Muttiah Muralitharan, Brad Hodge
and Sachin Tendulkar have debunked
the young man myth, while Mahela
Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajinkya
Rahane, Michael Hussey, AB de Villiers
and Jacques Kallis have shown that there
is a place for classicism even in slam-bang
cricket. Dale Steyn has produced some of
the most outstanding IPL spells, while Sunil
Narine owes his Test debut to his magical
bowling in IPL-V.
No one, though, epitomises the IPLbetter than Chris Gayle. Unwanted for IPL
IV after three modest, troubled seasons
with underachieving Kolkata Knight Riders,
Gayle was snapped up by Royal Challengers
Bangalore following an injury to Dirk
Nannes, the Australian paceman. Gayle, the
towering Jamaican with tattoos galore and
owing dreadlocks, has single-handedly
propelled the IPL into the stratosphere,
with his astonishing six-hitting skills and
laidback attitude bringing the crowds back
in their thousands to the venues and lending
credence to the belief that the lukewarm
response to IPL IV was a direct fallout of its
proximity to the World Cup.
Gayle is the ultimate entertainer, a free
spirit who can decimate and destroy withconsummate ease. All on his own, he has
changed the face of the IPL at a time when
it was turning blue in a desperate search
for oxygen. The West Indies might have
lost Gayle for a year after the 2011 World
Cup, but as he was laying into the bowlers
and scattering packed
crowds in the stands,
he was also raising the
prole of the IPL.
He was alsos p e e c h l e s s l y
strengthening his claims for an even
international return that culminated
him playing a starring role in the W
Indies triumph in the World T20 in
Lanka in October 2012.
the talism
The Chennai Kings, led by D
have won ttwice and rethe seminals
ve ed
thE bIG PIctURE
PUnIt PARAnjPE/AF
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Just under tw mnths. Arund
nine hurs ever da. Ever
mment under clse scrutin.Camerapersns, visin mixers,
echnicians, prducers (at the venue and
nside the prductin cntrl rm),nchrs, reprters, experts n ne can
lip. And its all live. N time, r rm,
r retakes. All dne while jet-settingrund the cuntr.
That, in a nutshell, is what the production
f the Indian Premier League involves.
hree hundred-odd people on the job. One
ery popular TV show. The coverage of the
ve event alone involves upwards of 20
ameras (including the one that ies around
above the stadium supported by wires) at
the ground and an additional eight in the
central studio in Mumbai for the pre, mid
and post-match shows. It also requires a
massive contingent of technicians, graphic
artists, producers, odd-jobs people and
much else.
But, at some level, it is basically an
extension of the usual live coverage of
cricket. With its years of experiencein producing live cricket content, the
International Management Group does
a neat, straightforward job of pulling it
o. The companys role, of course, is not
limited to just bringing us the pictures on
TV; IMG handles the IPLs distribution
rights, franchise rights, event and venue
management and sponsorship sales as well.
But where the IPL has rewritten the rules
for cricket coverage is in the scale at which
its wrap-up show Extraaa Innings (EI)
is designed. Anyone who understands
television production is wowed by the way
the show brings together, at times, three
standalone shows within one.
The basic show involves an anchor and
studio guests: a straightforward chat show.
But this is blended with the dancing girls and
the musicians who are doing their thing. And,
nally, you have the part coming in from the
ground, where, again, there are multiple things
happening at once. To
the lay viewer, its just
a lot of simultaneous
activity. To a television
professional, like
Archana Vijaya, the
presenter: Its an adrenaline rush; so h
energy that you are always on sixth gear
usually mentally exhausted.
The extraaa cverageCricket is not the domain of the few
choose to guard it so zealously. No one o
cricket, and no one has any more rights
it than the next person, says Jasdeep S
Pannu, vice-presidentprogramming at
Max, the broadcasters of the IPL.
thE tV DEAL
popular s
Navjot Sidhu (cthe unettered cha
o cricketainclaims Extraaa In
is criticised becauextremely watc
daNCiNg dOwN
ThE Tv TraCkB s dp
PARvEEn nEGI/InDIA toDAy GRoUP/GEtt
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The brains behind EI stress that they
respect the viewer above all else. So when
ou catch up with senior members of the
roduction team, you are likely to hear
entences like these: I will not talk down to
viewer or If people want to watch their
port the same way they watch their evening
ntertainment shows, who am I to judge?
In any case, theres no wishing away
his sexed-up coverage much like purists
annot wish the IPL away. SET Max first
ame up with the concept ahead of the
003 World Cup, and noodle straps entered
he national consciousness perched on
Mandira Bedis well-
groomed shoulders.
Pannu, who was
employed with ESPN
STAR Sports at the
time, says, People in
the industry were inspired by the concept
and the audience reaction. Mandira
represented the average Indian female fan,and it worked.
That is how Pannu found himself overseeing
the production of the Shaz & Waz Show, the
serious cricket channels attempt at stepping
o its pedestal in the wake of Mandira Mania.
the picture tube
Dealing with the liveeed, streaming in
rom 28 cameras, callsor one o the most
exhaustive productionprocesses on Indian TV.
ShAmYA DASGUPtA
When the IPL came around, the format
and concept automatically lent itself to
some heavy-duty Shaz-Wazmatazz and
noodle-strapping. Nobody throws stones
at a tree that doesnt bear fruit,says Navjot
Singh Sidhu, in response to criticism of the
IPL broadcasts over the years. And thats
the philosophy SET Max works with. Pannu
puts it like this: The idea is to ensure
that the family gets entertained; for a TV
channel like ours, its important to make
the programming broad-based.
And presenter Shibani Dandekar says, Theavour of the conversations should be along
the lines of what it would be like if I were
sitting down with the player in a coee shop.
You want to throw stones at it? Go
ahead. The producers dont care as long
as the sponsors are queuing up. Dumbing
down? Yeah, sure, they dont disagree.
In fact, producer Debayan Sen is candid
enough to admit, As much as possible, we
address the Lowest Common Denominator,
bring in people, and provide something
for everyone. What we have as a result,
producer Azhar Habib tells us, is easily
the biggest sports show in India. With live
music, comedy acts, and all.
And then, as Pannu says, We haveSunil Gavaskar, Ajay Jadeja, Sanjay
Manjrekar and others on the show. If they
are endorsing it and having fun being on
the show, we dont need anyone else to tell
us whats right or wrong.
Taking the shw t the dugutThe coverage of the IPL with its innovat
has also led to the birth of a new va
of producer: Venue Producer. Who are t
and where do they come in? Well, sim
explained, these are the men and wo
scattered around the dierent venue
who (a) brief the presenters on the edit
tone of the show, (b) innovate in term
bringing in local avour to the presenta
(c) coordinate with players, ocials
team owners to ensure interviews take pduring the game and in the breaks, and
look out for celebrities in the crowd du
games and arrange for chats with them
Abhinav Kohli, a news television an
Doordarshan charRs 5 lakh from the BCC
telecast matches played in Into cover the costs of produc
in 1992. In 93, BCCI sold TV rigto Trans World Internatio
(TWI) and DD paid $1 milfor the right to telecast In
matches. In 2008, Sony inke
ten-year global TV rights deaIPL for US $1.026 bill
Cm
Ball
thE tV DEAL
HIRAG wAKASKAR-IPl 2010/IPl vIA GEtty IMAGES
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nd producer till recently, joined the 2012
eam as a Venue Producer. For him, the main
hing is to ensure that everything is done
n time, interviews lined up, local avour
auged, colour stories readied and presenters
riefed on cricket aspects. After that, you just
wait for things to go wrong and emergencies
o crop up.
What sort of emergenci es? Well, it
ppears the franchises dont always play
all. The players would have to be made
vailable for interviews, as was mandated
y the IPL, but almost invariably, we had
o record interviews in advance because
anchises wouldnt cooperate. Not always.
ometimes, Kohli says. Apart from that?
Well, the entire show is dependent on
echnology, so anything might go wrong,
nd often do. But the viewer never gets to
now.
0% cricket, 60% entertainmentOver the years, IPL coverage has changed
ramatically. During the rst year, much
ke the teams that made mistakes with
quad selection and match strategy
because it was all so new), the coverage
n TV oundered too. The second year was
also awry, with the tournament moving to
South Africa, and planning continuing to
the last minute. Since then, things have
settled down. Much like the IPL itself, a
template is in place. Its another matter
that the template itself is open to tinkering.
Everything is uid, Habib says. The entry
of the guests, the entertainers, the sudden
appearance of a celebrity at the venue
thats what makes it fun, as well as tricky.
But is all that extra complication worth
the eort? After all, the cricket is the raison
detre of the programming. Surely no one
watches the extraaa bit if they are not
watching the match to start with?
That work is paying o now, Sen
explains: Its clear that, last year [2012],
the comparative gures of the cricket and
EI showed that there has been an increase
in the ratings for the show. This doesnt
necessarily mean that people are watchingEI more than the matches, but that fewer
people are switching channels at the break
or after the matches than before. As a result,
numbers for the show have gone up, albeit
marginally. Reinventing and innovating,
says Sen, explaining the success.
ShAmYA DASGUPtA
When you do justice to the presence ofcheerleaders and comedians, you loseocus as far as cricket is concerned.
Cricket has changed with the IPL, so
why shouldnt the coverage evolve? asks
Pannu, adding, Last year, we innovated
with stand-up comedians and the i ncreased
use of Hindi.
Dandekar, on the other hand, feels its as
simple as the fact that the tournament saw
better cricket this year than the year before.
Its about the cricket, not us, she says. We
add value to the main product, which is the
cricket. The better the cricket is, the easier
it is for us. We had so many close nishes in2012 that the viewership was assured.
And with the excitement on the eld,
it was important to lower the intensity in
the breaks whether at the venues or in
the studio. Cricket lovers know answers
to standard cricket questions anyway, says
Dandek ar. We want to make it fun. We want
a Rusty Theron to sing the IPL anthem. Get
something extraaa. Like getting a player to
open up about his personal life, his likes
and dislikes about the dressing room. Get
some inside information.
Fall back on entertainment then,
obviously.
The non-cricket percentage of thecontent is bound to go up with Danny
Morrison and Sidhu taking centrestage
anyway, but, in 2012, Sunil Gavaskar also
looked like he didnt want to drive straight
anymore. Was it done spontaneously or was
he under instructions from the producers?
We cant order Mr Gavaskar to do w
we want, can we? Pannu asks. And H
claries: He got into the mood. He wa
to fool around, mimic peopleand he
the one who suggested all of it.
A world away f rom Aakash Chopra,
says, There are cheerleaders in the st
and stand-up comedians. The mom
you do justice to their presence , you
time and also focus as far as the crick
concerned.
As a result, o the eld, it was
entertainment, and 40% cricket, Sen s
After all, l ike Pannu says, We dont wa
stie people with analysis.
Fair enough, bring on the dancing gi
Pla cricket, dnt talk cricket t
Even as EI plays out on the broadcas
channel, almost every single news cha
Hindi and English airs their spons
IPL shows. What that means is cricket
experts have an additional platform to
their views. On SET Max, time is always
premium, with airtime apportioned fo
entertainers, who are paid as handsome
the ex-cricketers are.
Chopra has straddled both worlds, then some. He was a part of Kolkata Kn
Riders as well as Rajasthan Royals as a pl
but with not too many games coming
way, he moved to the commentary stu
both with SET Max as well as with n
channels. And his take on the matte
thE tV DEAL
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ear: The news channels I was a part of [all
nglish] focus on the serious side of the IPL.
heres an attempt to do in-depth analyses of
very team, every game. Also, you get more
me to air your views on news channels.
Chopra also hints that SET Maxs
liation to the Board of Control for Cricket
n India as its media partner is something of
hindrance. News channels focus on the
urning issues [controversies], while SET
Max has its hands tied in that respect.
Chopra, clearly, is in a minority here. Buthats the nature of the beast; when it comes
o the IPL, the cricket is relatively simple,
nd so is its coverage. In-depth isnt the
uzzword here. You need Sidhu to dance on
tage, Morrison to yell above the drumbeats
nd Isa Guha, former England cricketer, to
lay the eye-candy role just as much as the
heergirls or presenters. A female expert is
till woman rst, right? Pannus take, again,
simple: You will always be criticised for
tanding out. Shades of Sidhu there, but
hen, how can one argue with that?
arts here, wheres the hst?Oh, they are everywhere, arent they? At
he ground, in the studio, near the dugout;
hopping in Jaipur, eating kebabs in Delhi,
hatting and dancing with the stars andmuch else. The girls, Vijaya and Dandekar,
nd Samir Kochhar and Gaurav Kapur,
he boys. For seven weeks, without a days
reak, they bring together two of the biggest
ndian passions cricket and celebrity, with
heavy dash of glamour.
The girls have launched themselves in a
big way using the EI platform. Both of them
are hot on the glam circuit today, and were
picked up by the dance reality show, Jhalak
Dikhlaa Jaa, as contestants for the 2012
season. Unsurprisingly, Dandekar is looking
for a career in lms now. So its worked out
well, hasnt it ? Oh yes, we have been more
visible of late, says Vijaya. We had ve
presenters till 2011, and its been reduced to
create a higher connect with the audience.
Last year, more people watched the show,
and therefore more people saw us.
But, as far as Dandekar is concerned, its
not just the presenters who benet from
the show being the way it is. We chat with
all sorts of players and talk about all sorts
of things, she says. What happens is that
people start liking a player not just because
of his cricket, but because of the person
he is which we try to bring out. So these
players get a fan following too.
What happens next? More innovation for
sure, Pannu promises. In what direction:
more entertainment? Its too early to
say, but it could be anything; maybe live
audiences for every show, he says.
The strategy will target the broad-based
audience, not necessarily the cricketpurists. Is that the way to go? A pointless
debate, when its economics that will
decide the formula. Even if that means
70% entertainment and 30% cricket. The
disgruntled can always turn to recordings
of old Test matches.
ShAmYA DASGUPtA thE IPL tV DEAL
the tinsel he
With silver screen stars suchShah Rukh Khan (perormi
at the 2011 opening ceremoin Chennai) co-owni
dierent ranchises, the leaghas never lacked in glamo
DIByAnGSHU SARKAR/AFP PHoto
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The brand value f the Indian
Premier League (IPL) drpped
frm US $4.65 billin in 2010t US $2.92 billin in 2012,
ccrding t Brand Finance, a brand
aluation rm. The television ratings
ailed to garner an average of 4 in the fth
ditin. But, with an annual viewership
f apprximatel 162 millin, it is still
mng the tp sprts prperties glball.
In the cricket-dominated Indian market,
where other forms of live entertainment are
till not volume driven, the six weeks of the
PL have created a fresh spending pattern
mong the end consumers. Pre-2008 sports
marketing in India was not always nancially
viable and lacked direction. The failure of
the Indian Cricket League, now defunct, is a
good example of that. But with the advent of
the IPL, the industry has evolved.
The IPLs biggest commercial USP has been
its positioning as cricketainment. Since team
loyalties are still not set in stone, contests
between international stars, whatever teams
they represent, generate substantial interest.
The strong core product, combined withother forms of peripheral entertainment,
has changed the consumption behaviour of
a wider audience and, as live cricket matches
become family-outing options for the rst
time, the league has become the pivot the
market economy revolves around for the
TaPPiNg aNS Or
OrCE aNd OrTuNEB sn Pn
six weeks that it plays out. This has in turn
led various brands, including the ones not
traditionally associated with cricket, to
experiment and leverage the platform.
With nothing else happening around IPL
time, the tournament beneted us in terms
of creating visibility through the eyeballs it
generated, says Rajiv Mehta, the managing
director of Puma India, the sponsors of
Rajasthan Royals (as well as the now defunct
Deccan Chargers). Both from the performanceand visibility angles, it gave people the idea
that Puma exists in the cricket market too.
Since we are a lifestyle and performance brand,
we were looking for a cricketing platform. That
was the core thought behind associating with
the two IPL franchises.
For a lifestyle
brand that entered
India only in 2006,
the connect has been
fruitful, oering
Puma the option
of using a group of talented second-r
cricketers as a communication tool in a
eective manner.
The plabkA brand works on three levels of associa
with the IPL. The decisions to purc
commercial time from the broadcaster
sponsor the league are driven by econom
whereas franchise sponsorship is mor
an eort to establish a direct connect
the emotions of fans. For a brand suc
thE mARKEt fORcE
race for the r
From Mickey Cunveiling (by Tend
Nita AmbaHarbhajan) to c
shoes, merchandithe new IPL buzz
InDRAnIl MUKHERjEE/AFP PHoto
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uma, the plan has been to stay ahead of the
eams fortunes and focus on marketing the
tars within the team as individual entities,
reating unique on-ground experiences while
hifting the core foundation of the fans
ssociation with the team.
We took a spin and said that its not about
winning but about enjoying, says Mehta.
As long as you are having fun while you are
laying, it does not matter who wins or who
loses. That is what
we have banked on.
The other focus
has been to seed
an element of
aspiration among
the fans to spend
on merchandise. For Deccan Chargers, we
created merchandise with the bull and its
horn, says Mehta. It is desirable. Something
you want to wear both on and o the eld.
That is what we have played on make the
team look cool, the stars look cool and thefans look cool too.
With sale of merchandise reporting a year-
on-year growth of 20% since the rst IPL season,
Pumas plan seems to be on track.
Also, an IPL association comes at a
premium, compelling innovation on technical
as well as creative fronts. With the IPL
governing council scripting no guidelines on
footwear, Puma seized the space, introducing
their new shoe range in 2011 as well as 2012.
For some, IPL is not cricket. And for some,
it is like any other form of cricket, Mehta
says. We had to balance the two schools of
thought and take a risk. After a few players
started wearing them (the shoes), it appealedto others and the viral eect took shape.
On the communications side,
Pumas primary focus has been social
marketing. A comic book strip that summed
up the entire fth edition was their way of
the leg-up
Pumas IPL association(Gilchrist sporting Pumashoes in 2012, orinstance) has helpedthe brand secure ayear-on-year growth o20% in merchandise sale.
SIDhANtA PAtNAIK
connecting with the fans.
Fan engagement models have not
matured in India but, with the IPL, a path
for the future has been paved. However,
at a fundamental level, there is a fear
of misplaced focus. The parent brand
continues to remain protable but, for other
stakeholders, the myth that the league is
free from the inuences of the prevailing
economic conditions has been busted.
Firstly, with an extensive international
cricket calendar, the memories of a franchise-based competition fade too fast. Commercially,
the momentum is lost after the end of every
season and, for the majority of investors,
justifying return on investment is a challenge.
Secondly, as Mehta says, The IPL as a
body is more focused on generating revenue
than building a sustained brand. Their
marketing plan is not inclusive. In a sellers
market, where bureaucracy is involved atall levels, it becomes unviable for other
stakeholders to think long term.
The IPL model has played its part in the
revamp of Indian footballs I-League and
has helped conceptualise World Series
Hockey. It has even shaped Indias
in World Series Boxing. However, for
IPL to be a complete marketing suc
fundamental errors need rectifying andcommitment to the audience has to st
out. The fan experience also has to rea
stage where the aspirational value of ow
IPL sporting merchandise and those o
English Premier League football team
perceived as same.
An IPL association comes at a premiumfor a brand, compelling innovation ontechnical as well as creative fronts.
At $853 millManchester Uniteds br
valuation is the highamong sporting clubs. Withestimated value of $48 mill
the Mumbai Indians (at No. are the best-valued IPL te
ahead of century-old Itaclubs, Lazio and Fiorentina,
Los Angeles Galaxy, a MLeague Soccer te
Cm
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thE mARKEt fORcE
vEEnDRAn/AFP PHoto
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IMPoRTDUTywt te os ost fe ccetes,
ncn de Sten, en p te cton
n iPl, te ee s epn enoce
ins e s te cente o o ccet
KIERON POLLARD
RYAN TEN DOESCHATE
SHAKIB AL HASAN
PagE 34
PagE 38
PagE 42
te IPL as egrea inaniaIs no soeI wis o ide.
teres no asu downie ine IPL as youdink. te gaesare prey inense.
IPLs a greaournaen,
i preparesyoung rikeor e world.
AH SEElAM/AFP PHoto (StEyn); GRAHAM CRoUCH/GEtty IMAGES (PollARD); MICHAEl StEElE/GEtty IMAGES (tEn DoESCHAtE)
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The annual Cricket Suth Africa
Awards is a glamrus, black-
tie aair with even the ocial
part f the prgramme lasting
deep int the night. Fr the invited
guests and sponsors who can aord the
hangver the next mrning, the wine is
pured until the earl hurs.
There is no escape for some who are
sticking to sparkling water, however. I must
have signed 500
autographs and
that was just after
dinner, says Dale
Steyn, eyes shining.
Got to bed at 2am
and up at 6am good job Ive been trai
for this discipline at the IPL! he laughs.
The occasion was a business breakfast a
headquarters of the games longest-ser
sponsor, SA Breweries, which makes C
Lager, synonymous with the national t
since the end of isolation (except in Pakis
Steyn was there not just as the worlds N
Test bowler, but as an ambassador-at-larg
SABs water conservation programme.
It takes 155 litres of water to make one
of beer from the very beginning of the pro
to the very end, and thats just too mu
says Steyn to an audience of 50 or more
arent sure whether to be wide-eyed
open-mouthed at his presence or his
dalE STEyN aNd
ThE aNgEr wiThiNB Ne mnp
Dismissal man
Steyn played or RCB orthe rst three IPL seasonsbeore he was bought bythe Deccan Chargers in2011 and has picked up32 wickets since.
AH SEElAM/AFP PHoto
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SAB have committed themselves to reducing
hat substantially and Im backing them and
assing on the message.
Steyn removes a folded sheet of paper
om his pocket and reads out his top ten
ps for saving water and recounts a tale
with actions) of how the bath at one hotel
e stayed at during the IPL consisted of a
arge, pottery bowl of water and a smaller
ug which he used to pour the water over
imself. Some South Africans were able to
elate, but not the majority.
The great fast bowler laughed at the faces
n front of him: Ha! I guess you all thought
he IPL was just about ve-star luxury and
millionaires, hey? Most of us nodded.
Steyns interest started for two reasons,
the rst completely
altruistic: From the
moment I became
an established
international cricketer
I always had a strong
feeling that I should
be doing some good
while I had that prole, using it to try and
make a dierence.
Two years ago, he tried to organise walking
on to the eld of play before an IPL match
with a tiger cub on a leash to bring theirendangered plight to the attention of the
widest possible audience, but the logistics
and red-tape required made it impossible.
Having been born and raised in the small
town of Phalaborwa on the edge of the famous
NEIL mANthORP
hurt locker
The Deccan Chargerssuered a six-match run
o nal-over deeats inIPL V, the dejection rom
the last deeat drivingSteyn to kick a kit bag
and break his toe.
thE fOREIGN PLAYER
Apart from inducing fear the batsmen, Dale Steyns ot
interests include shing hunting. He has shot an imp
and even caught a croc, earnhim the tag of crocohunter. Currently, St
has the fourth-best bow
strike rate of all time in Tebehind George Lohmann, J
Ferris and Shane Bo
Cm
Ball
Kruger National Park in the north of the country,
he gre up in the shadow of the game parks Big
Five and has always felt close to nature.
Having moved to landlocked Pretoria
and then to Cape Town four years ago, he
quickly took to surng as a replacement for
his childhood passion of skateboarding. He
already had the hip and knee movements
required. And, like all surfers, he quickly
became concerned at the amount of debris
and pollution in the worlds oceans.
I sent out a tweet about the state of
the water and I had literally thousands of
responses inside an hour, Steyn says. I had
never experienced anything like it before.
So my interest grew as I learned about how
careless we are with water, and how we
take it for granted. If I can make a small
dierence in the world it would make a big
dierence to me.
It doesnt sound like a young man with millions
of dollars in the bank. But then, he doesnt look
or act like that either. He looks bemused when
asked about his motivation to keep playing as
hard and bowling as fast as he does especially
given the toll that his job takes on his body.
Im lucky because not only do I have thechance to experience the thrill of winning,
but I also get to bowl really fast. Those two
things are the best feelings in the world, better
than any drugs not that Ive tried any. I love
winning, Steyn says, before questioning the
assertion. Maybe its more that I hate losing?
We (Deccan Chargers) lost six games o
last ball [in IPL V]. We nished bottom, bu
could so easily have made the play-os. I ki
an empty kit bag so hard when it happ
for the sixth time, I almost dislocated my
Steyn says. Then I kicked another one, b
was full of water bottles and I broke my
Stupid. I missed a couple of games. But I
mad as hell. Thats the re I hope I never lo
wouldnt be the same cricketer without it.
His great friend and teammate, MMorkel, is often accused of lacking that
in his belly. I dont need to be angry,
Morkel. Dale has enough anger for
of us. It is a statement that makes S
laugh aloud. One day, when somebod
something does make him angry, hell be
SHADRI SUKUMAR/AFP PHoto
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est bowler in the world.
Provided, of course, that Morkel is
ble to control and channel the rage
omething Steyn hasnt always managed
o do. There have been a couple of times
when I have need ed to be calme d down,
ut thats Graemes (Smith) job thats for
im to worry about! Ive had a couple of
nes in international cricket and Im not
roud of myself if I get into trouble, but
s just a consequence of what I do. When
cross the boundary rope, my personality
hanges. But Im happy with that.
He may be charming and gentle o the
eld, but that does not mean he is out of
ouch with his on-eld persona. There is no
plit-personality syndrome going on. Does
e enjoy the sight of fear in a batsmans eyes?
Oh, YES. Nothing better than that. Sure I
ee it, from time to time, and it gives me a
hrill. I think Ive got you now. Youre mine.ut, as much as I love getting a batsman out,
doesnt compare to the thrill of winning
he game. I really mean that. Ive met a few
ricketers who are more excited about their
wn performance than the teams, and I
ont like that. At all. Im not one of them.
His favourite tale about fear comes from
an encounter with Muttiah Muralitharan
who suggested a deal before one game. No
doosras, no bouncers when were bowling,
OK? Steyn, who enjoys his batting every
bit as much as his bowling, loved it. You
got it! he replied.
His place as one of the greatest fast
bowlers in the history of the game is already
secure. If he never played another game,
that would not change. Its something he is
prepared to accept, but not dwell on.
I know Im doing well. When South
Africa really needs a wicket, Graeme or
AB (de Villie rs) throw the ball to m e. And
often Im able to give them what they need.
Thats all I care about. I know roughly
how many wickets I have, but I dont keep
track, he says. A time may come when I
do start looking at my record, but that
will probably be very close to the end ofmy career. Right now Im just living in the
moment. I want to be a good cricketer, but
I am a person first and a cricketer second.
I wont always be a cricketer, but I will
always be a person. So thats my priority.
To be a good one.
ve met a few cricketers who are moreexcited about their own performance thanhe teams, and I dont like that. At all.
NEIL mANthORP
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Igreatl relish the pprtunit
that Ive been given t pla in a
high-prole tournament like the
Indian Premier League, a chance
rub shulders with big internatinal
tars and pla in frnt f such passinaterwds. T get such an pprtunit as a
ung cricketer, and t be given the kind
f respect I have been, is fantastic. Ntust fr me, but all f us wh have been
rtunate enugh t get cntracts withhe franchises.
One of the things I will readily admit is
hat the IPL has been great nancially too.
s not something I wish to hide. Its changed
o many things for me personally, in terms
of my life, my standard of living, my savings
its been superb. But the big salary also
makes someone like me accountable; it tells
me that I need to go out and perform each
time my team plays a game.
But its not just me. So many cricketers
from the West Indies t into the Twenty20
mould very well and have become regulars
with dierent IPL teams. I think the format
suits the kind of cricketers we are. Itsperfect. Look at Chris Gayle his air and
style of batting are perfect for T20 cricket.
Guys like Dwayne Bravo, who has so much
experience, also nd that Twenty20 and
tournaments like the IPL are ideal for him.
We are cricketers with air, we are exciting
iPl iS idEal OrwEST iNdiaNSB ken P
caribbean crackerPollard, a star perormer in
IPL-III, has amassed 639 runsrom 44 matches in the threeIPLs hes been part o; 2010
was his best outing with 273runs in 14 matches, his strike
rate a scorching 185.71
thE fOREIGN PLAYER
CARl FoURIE/GAllo IMAGES/GEtty
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ricketers, and we like to have fun when we
lay. T20 is not everything for us. It is the
rst step, and we plan to kick on from there.
There is an abundance of talent in the
West Indies. You look at Andre Russell, Sunil
Narine, Ravi Rampaul and others. They are
ll getting their chances in the IPL now.
ome of them have also played Test cricket,
ut its T20 that brings out their best.
housands of people are coming to watch
20 cricket and the more opportunities we
et, the better it is. We, as West Indians,
ke to enjoy ourselves and that works best
n the IPL and other T20 tournaments.
In Test cricket and One-Day International
ricket, you need to temper things a bit, be
more patient. Our success is because we can
play the way we like to in T20 cricket. But as
I said before, theres a process of evolution
going on and Im sure we will be a better
Test and ODI team in future.
For the next couple of months, the entire
focus is on the IPL. Travelling to India every
year for it has been incredi ble. Its been an
eye-opener. Everywhere you go in India,
there is a lot of excitement, and there are
big crowds at the grounds. Its the sort of
atmosphere that makes you want to give
your best each time.
Being in the Mumbai Indians dressing
room makes it even better. It has been a
phenomenal experience. Sachin Tendulkar:
there havent been too many better cricketers
in the world. He has done everything that
can be done in cricket. You see how loved
he is by his fans. Theres Harbhajan Singh
and Munaf Patel. At various times, we have
had Zaheer Khan and Sanath Jayasuriya,
Andrew Symonds, Lasith Malinga and JP
Duminy. Now, Ricky Ponting will also be
there.
Its awesome to get an opportunity to
share a dressing room with these guys.Its a
happy dressing room, and that makes for a
bunch of players who can go out and add tothe excitement of the IPL.
Kieron Pollard is an allrounder with
the West Indies cricket team , and
represents Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
He spoke to Shamya Dasgupta
KIERON POLLARD
Kieron Pollard attracted the
maximum open-auction bidof US $750,000 from fourteams in 2010, butMumbai Indians outbid
the other three in a silenttie-breaker to take him home.Surprisingly, no franchise
had bid for him in the2009 auction, when his base pricewas just US $60,000.
Cm
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It can be a very dicult life for
smene like me at times, travelling
cnstantl and plaing fr teams in
all parts of the world, in dierent
nditins. I think its ver imprtant
identif and align ur gals with the
eams because theres s much at stake inwent20 cricket. The gus are there t d
well and theres a strng sense f purpse;makes it easier. In all the teams Ive
laed fr, Ive fund it reall eas t getlng with the gus and t fcus n plaingve-six weeks of good cricket.
There are, obviously, massive dierences
n the cultures that the dierent teams have.
s an example, New Zealanders seem to be
more laidback. They go about their stu
quietly. Obviously in India, everythings
quite frantic, and theres a lot more at stake.
And then youve also got indiv iduals your
captains and coaches and senior players
who set the tone. That will dier from team
to team. But Ive been pretty lucky. Even in
places I havent done well, Ive been in good
environments where the guys try and help
you as much as they can to bring out the best
in you.
Dierent strokes, dierent folksThe most noticeable thing about playing in
Australia, where the time between games is
a lot, is that the preparation and the analysis
that goes into each game is pretty thorough.
EvEryThiNgSraNTiC iN iNdiaB rn en dee
travel gu
Ryan ten Doeschate, 32-year-old Dutch cricke
has represented 11 teams inplaying career, including
Netherlands, Essex, ChittagoKings, Tasmania and K
thE fOREIGN PLAYER
noAH SEElAM/AF
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n the IPL, as an overseas player youre ghting
or one of four spots with ten quality players,
o thats a massive dierence. Your teams
ever set in stone, and you can aord to go
with dierent players in dierent conditions.
ssex is the team Ive played for the longest,
o its a very comfortable environment for
me. South Africa was also pretty dierent
ecause I was playing in a franchise that was
ew and it was a new concept where they
rought in only young guys. It was a great
oncept, but unfortunately, we were quite a
weak team. That was a dierent experience.
ut it was probably one of my most en joyableverseas ones.
Ive been through a lot with Essex and
ve achieved a lot there, and thats still my
ome. But Kolkatas also amazing just the
eople and, like I said, the quality of players
nd the quality of the set-up is so dierent.
s special to be with them.
With the IPL, the schedules very hectic.
eople say its only a three-hour game, and
he ights are relatively short, but the travel
me denitely takes a lot out of you: from
he hotel to the airport, its a decent bus
ourney. Then you wait around at the airport
or another ight, then its another bus back.
o theres not as much downtime as youd
hink. The games are pretty intense, so thereparation for them is also pretty intense.
On the o-chance that you do get a day
, the guys like to play a bit of golf. We
ometimes jump into a taxi and go out for
unch or go for a coee or something but, I
remember, last year, there certainly wasnt
enough time where you could actually plan
things ahead of time and get out in the city.
But Id like to do one or two things in the city
this year. Its nice to get a feel of the place.
You drive around in a bus, you see a hell of a
lot, but I think to be out on the streets and
just walk around and see how things are
done gives you a true feeling of the place.
The standut Assciate starTheres a whole pool of talent in that sub-
section of the cricket world. The Irish,
particularly, have produced some really good
players, and in the other teams too, there
are some really exciting players. Those guys
dont get to play a lot of rst-class cricket.
Ryan ten Doeschate, the three-time
ICC Associate and Aliate Playerof the Year, got his break whenGraham Gooch spotted him onEssexs tour of South Africa in
2003. His Dutch passport
allowed him to play for Essexon weekdays and club cricket inNetherlands on weekends; Gooch
would drive him to and fro to theairport to make it happen.
Cm
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RYAN tEN DOESchAtE
They dont get to play good volumes of
cricket, so they probably are best suited to
Twenty20 cricket. Youll nd the odd gem
there, and guys that can go on to play in the
IPL and all over the world. Yes, Im the rst,
but hopefully there are many more to come.
If I get asked, Ill obviously put names of
guys forward. I know at KKR, the analysts
and the coaches do their preparations so
thoroughly that they would have gone
through all the guys that are available. If
I think of one or two names, theres Paul
Stirling from Ireland. Hes a very aggressivebatsman and hes done consistently well. In
the Dutch team, theres a new Aussie guy
called Michael Swarz, whos a good player.
I was like any other cricketer when I was
growing up. The dream was to play Test
cricket, but you get to an age where youre
smart enough to realise whats going on.
When I nished school at 18-19, the level
of my cricket denitely wasnt good enough
to consider it as a career, so I chose another
path. I went to university because playing
Test cricket was never really a viable option.
Im over the moon with how far Ive come in
my cricket and how many opportunities the
game has presented me, so I ve got no regrets
about not playing Test cricket. Obviously,
it would have been amazing, but its notsomething I lie awake and think about. Im
just so grateful for what Ive got out of cricket.
Im very conscious of how lucky Ive been
to get a career out of cricket. And I think
that by starting so late and making my
achievements very late in my career,
really learnt to cherish them. Im like a
when Im playing at the Eden Garden
playing in my backyard, its almost the s
for me. I just love it and Im always smili
try to play with a lot of energ y all the time
I think people also relate to the underdog
from a small country and doing well.
Lee and the trusers
Ive got a terrible memory for stories
ifyou want them, go to Brett Lee. He
a book full of stories. Hell tell you e
great cricketing story you want to know
theres one I wont forget. I received an aw
halfway through a game in Essex. I w
playing because Id torn my calf. I wen
receive it, and it was a Twenty20 game
was sold out. It was on TV as well bec
there was a big screen on the side of the
As I went up, I was on crutches. Scott S
came up behind me and pulled my trou
down. In front of everyone! And becau
was on crutches, I couldnt get them bac
quickly and had to put my crutches d
rst. It was all over the show, and it was p
embarrassing. Im going to get back at
He thinks Ive forgotten, but Ill denitel
back at him. Hes got it coming from m
some stage.
Ryan ten Doeschate is a Dutch crick
who has made waves in domestic lea
around the world and represents Kol
Knight Riders in the IPL; Saurabh Smspoke to Doesc
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The2012 Asia Cup in Bangladesh
was a big deal fr us. We beat
India to reach the nal and
then lst t Pakistan, a match,
feel we shuld have wn. But it was a
eartening perfrmance and we wereery satised with how we played. I think
lt f credit shuld be given t the
angladesh Premier League (BPL) frreparing us fr the Asia Cup. Earlier, big
tals, even in one-Da Internatinals,wuld daunt us. But after rutinel
hasing 150-175 in the BPL, ur plaers
ave become more condent. We have
ad a cuple f big-hitters like Tamim
qbal and Mahmudullah but, after the
PL, man mre f us have becme better
plaers in limited-vers internatinals,
including ur bwlers.
Unfortunately, I am still one of the very
few Bangladeshi cricketers with contracts
in the Indian Premier League. There are
many others in Bangladesh who could well
be a part of the IPL. The conditions in In dia
are similar to the conditions in Bangladesh
and the players who have done well in the
BPL should do well in the IPL too. That willalso be good for the Bangladeshi players,
because the IPL is such a great tournamen t,
which provid e a great plat form for young
cricketers. It prepares young cricketers for
the world. I have personally gained a lot
from playing in the IPL.
CaN dO wiTh mOrE
BaNgladEShiS iN iPlB sb a hn
At the same time,
while contract s with
IPL teams would be
great for Bangladeshi
cricketers, whats
more important is
that Bangladesh come
to India for a full tour, which has never
happened. Our rst-class structure is also
not properly developed. All these things
must come together for Bangladesh cricketto improve.
Shakib Al Hasan is an allrounder with
the Bangladesh cricket team and represents
Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL; Shama
Dasgupta spoke to Shakib
bangla hero
Shakib has scored120 runs at a strikerate o 125, andtaken 23 wickets at anaverage o 16.08, in15 IPL matches so ar.
Only the 28th player inhistory of Test cricket to sc
a century and pick up wickets in an innings (in vs Pakistan) Shakib Al Ha
is known as Moyna, athe Myna bird. Naeem Isl
a teammate during his Performance Centre days, ca
up with the na
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Having cached Suth Africa
and been the bwling cach
f the Indian team, its east sa that when it cmes t
n internatinal side, there is a clear
al and a clear cause in place, whichs nt the case when a franchise-based
eam is put together. The rst challenges
n cach faces is mulding a grup falented individuals int a talented team
with a common cause and objective aeam where the individuals understand
f the team wins, I win. This challenge is
ven greater with an IPL team.
Not that they are not keen, but they come
om disparate backgrounds with dierent
playing cultures and styles. Bringing them
together and getting them to work towards
a common cause is my rst objective.
I have always been a person who coaches
people rst and cricketers second. And this
very aspect of human nature is, perhaps,
the part of the role which interested me
the most about coaching and has probably
been my biggest takeaway from the job with
Delhi Daredevils.
Cmmunicatin is the keI suppose we all evolve with new experiences,
and one of the ways in which I have evolved
as a coach is that I realised that I had to
understand my players before I could make
ThE iPl mOThErhEN maNualB E sn
them understand me. I had to understand
them before putting my plans in front of them.
If I had gone in and tried to dictate terms, it
wouldnt have worked. I think the learning
process that I have gone through has been an
enjoyable and interesting experience for me.
Building a team is not the only challenge we
face as coaches of an IPL side, and managing
the energy of the squad is a big part of what
we do. Most will just see the money and
the glamour of the tournament, and they
accept that they are well paid, but it is also
a time of hard work and eort. Almost theentire squad arrives at the tournament in
the middle of an international or domestic
schedule, and they are already physically
and emotionally drained. With practice,
ying virtually every third day, marketing
commitments and, of course, matches, we
need to build their energy and make sure it
maintains itself throughout the eight weeks
so that we can peak in the crucial knockout
phase of the competition.
As a non-Indian coach, like so many others
in the IPL, one of the biggest problems I face
is the language barrier when it comes to the
younger Indian domestic players. At times
these youngsters are a little overawed by the
environment so, when you speak to them,
they just nod, and you dont know if you aregetting through to them. Sometimes you
have spoken to them and given instructions
and you think its gone through but it hasnt.
But, like I said before, its the job of the
coaches to make them feel comfortable. You
have to go to them and not expect them to
come to you. It can
be intimidating for
them, so, as a coach,
you have to build
a relationship with
them and make them
feel comfortable and a part of the team.
try to make a special eort to commun
with the guys who might be a bit starry-
and intimidated and, hopefully, if you made them more comfortable, they can
to their potential and become a real pa
the team.
Its funny really, but the IPL has act
been an interesting thing for India. On
tongue tw
For a oreign coaco the key chal
is to communicatthe young recrui
are not conversEnglish, says Si
thE cOAchS PERSPEctIVE
AnESH DEBIKy/GAllo IMAGES/GEtty
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ne hand, young Indian cricketers have
rown a lot faster by rubbing shoulders with
he big stars. On the other, it has allowed
nternational cricketers to come to India
nd learn from Indians and others from the
ubcontinent and become better players in
hese conditions. A lot of foreign cricketers
want to come to India and play the IPL, and
hey are improving their skills in Indian
onditions to attract the attention of the
anchises. So what its done is it has made
fe tougher for the Indian national team.
arlier, teams would visit India once every
wo-three years and there was always a sense
f uncertainty for them when it came to
oping with the conditions. Now they are
oming every year and learning faster.
Figuring ut T20 cricketOver the past ve or six years, since we all
became a part of the IPL, the T20 format has
evolved tremendously, but I still think there
is a lot of room for growth and understanding
of the format. It is still relatively young and
the trick of the game is to be ahead of the
pack, playing in a style and manner which
others will follow. You obviously cant win
every game, but we are all trying to gure out
how best to have a winning plan, to manage
the odds and keep your winning percentage
at an acceptable level. It is an exciting time to
be involved with the format because, in manyways, we are still pioneers in its development.
I think the standard of the cricket in the
IPL has improved, for two reasons. One,
international cricketers are more used to
the conditions in India and are playing
bigger roles in matches for their teams.
Secondly, one of the biggest benets I have
seen is in the Indian youngsters, working
with the big internat ional players. To be
with and see how a Dale Steyn prepares or
a Mahela (Jayawardene) plays or observe
what Kevin P ietersen or Jacqu es Kallis does,
its made them better cricketers and helped
them be more condent about their own
ability. And they are now playing huge roles
in the outcome of matches.
In IPL-V, our attack was largely built around
a powerful pace attack and it performed very
well to take us to the top of the league table.
But not enough can be said about the role
the two relatively inexperienced spinners,
Shahbaz Nadeem and Pawan Negi, played in
our success. You play to your strengths, but we
realised that we were too unidimensional and
easy to strategise against, particularly in the
latter stages of the tournament as the wickets
started getting slower and, when we played
down south, where the wickets were dierent.
It has always fascinated me that when
T20 cricket was conceptualised and startedbecoming popular, people felt spinners
wouldnt play much of a role at all. That
theory has taken a beating. Amazingly, thats
not only true of India. In all domestic T20
competitions around the world, spinners
have come into their
own. T20 cricket is
evolving as such, and
spinners are too.
The DaredevilsdnamicsWhat I have done is put together a bluep
for what is the ideal T20 team, with
right balance and the combinationleft-handers and right-handers, for D
Daredevils. What we tried to do in
auctions this year is get the players
were missing from our plan, gure out
shortcomings and nd players who ca
rookie on the
Shahbaz Nadeeyoung let-arm s
who impressed Simgreat deal last yea
eight wickets in matches in
thE cOAchS PERSPEctIVEERIc SImONS
Out of the 23 who havecoached IPL teams until thefth season, only ve have
been Indians. Australians arethe most sought after with11, followed by ve South
Africans and two NewZealanders. Eric Simons,the Delhi Daredevilss headcoach, is a former South African
cricketer who played 23 ODIs.
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he gaps in all conditions. Its important
o have the vision in place and know what
our requirements are and what role the
layers can play. There isnt much point in
uying someone who will sit on the bench
or most of the tournament. Thats the start
oint. The other challenge is managing
hese players. You have 1011 internationals
nd these are guys who would walk into
heir national sides easily. But in the IPL,
ou can play only so many of them. So its
mportant to manage them properly, keep
hem motivated. The main thing is to very
early understand what you need as a team
nd make sure you invest intelligently.
Selecting the IPL team, or the squad, is very
nteresting and unique. To start with, the
eam is run by an owner and not an association
r club members. There are various other
ynamics at play as the franchises have more
n common with football teams of the world
han conventional cricket structures. The
oach and the management team are verymuch a part of the planning process. Youll
nd the coach, the management team and
he captain working together and there will
e the senior players that you also use in the
lanning. We have a mentor and a manager
who are part of our team.
T20 leagues: the wa frwardI think the people who run the game, cricket
boards of countries and the International
Cricket Council, will have to understand
the T20 format properly and realise that the
mushrooming number of leagues around the
world are here to stay. At some point, all the
stakeholders of the game will have to sit down
and nd a solution, the right balance in terms
of how much is enough and how much is too
much. We must nd out what is the optimum
level, the right balance. Cricketers will want
to be part of the more lucrative formats,
which has to be accepted.
The stakeholders will have to put all
the issues on the table and try to nd a
solution. I dont think it is about the boards
relinquishing power or control but about
nding solutions. Ego has to be kept out of
the debate. What will make cricket a better
game, a more global game that has to be
gured out. These tournaments are going to
get bigger and better. Thats a reality cricketpeople need to embrace.
Eric Simons is a former South African
cricketer and the coach of Delhi Daredevils;
he spoke to Shama Dasgupta
The franchises have more in commonwith football teams of the world thanconventional cricket structures.
Which was the only ranchise to appoint a oreign player as
captain in the IPL's inaugural season in 2008?
Who was the frst Indian to score a
hundred in the IPL?
What innovation made an appearance in the match between Kolkata
Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals on April 23, 2009, in Cape Town?
For the ourth season in 2011, what ormat did IPL ollow ater the
group stages instead o knockouts?
Which Kenyan cricketer was signed by the Deccan Chargers or the
fth season as an Indian player because he had an Indian passport?
Who are the only bowlers to take
two hat-tricks in the IPL?
Touted as the next big thing in 2009 by Rajasthan Royals captain
Shane Warne, this bowler now works on his brothers arm ater
being shunned by Pune Warriors last year. Name him
Who replaced Lalit Modi as chairman o the IPL in 2010, ater Modi was
unceremoniously ousted rom the post owing to corruption charges?
Whom did Pune Warriors bring in as substitute or the injured
Ashish Nehra in their frst season?
Who is the only Indian to be head coach o
a ranchise in IPL 2013?
QUIZ1
3
5
7
9
2
4
6
8
10
ANSWERS ON PAGE 64
B deep v
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On the face f it, schedules in
the Indian Premier League
might nt appear t packed.During the league phase,
ach team plas 16 matches spread ver
lmst seven weeks, which cmes dwn
ne three-hur match in three das.
However, with nine teams in the fray, the
gnicant amount of additional travel and
he time needed to train and wind downfter each match eat into the match-free
ays to a great extent, making for a hectic
ournament with explosive action packed
etween the travel and the practice. In
ome ways, being the physiotherapist for an
PL franchise is a more daunting task than
managing an international side. The job is
no less high prole, but youre overseeing
the tness for a group that has wide
diversity in physical training cultures and
body attributes, and there is only a small
window i n which the pl ayers are under your
direct supervision.
But as happens so often, in adversity there
is opportunity too.
Its actually been very exciting, says
John Gloster, the former physiotherapist of
the Indian team, currently employed with
Rajasthan Royals. Its allowed us to bring
in the experienced players and have them
blend with the young kids. Experienced not
ThE PhySiO aNdThE iPl PhySiCSB sb sn
LOOKING AftER thE bOYS
just in terms of cricket played, but also with
physical training. Its actually made our job
easier, because its sort of opened up their
(the uncapped younger players) eyes to what
is expected if they want to perform and play at
international level.
Each franchise is aware that, while IPL has
to do with sport, the dollars the owners have
invested demand some form of visible return.
Winning on the eld is the only way to ensurethat and, therefore, physiotherapists and
trainers are oered all the resources they
need to help them put together a team that is
t enough to win cricket matches.
During my involvement, whatever I asked
the management for,
they got me, says
Ramji Srinivasan,
who worked with the
Mumbai Indians. They
never hesitated to
spend money on any
resources, even on diet. Any diet, from sus
other exotic food, and high-energy bars, fr
hydration liquids... the management has
amazing very, very helpful.
As Gloster puts it: We take the responsib
as a franchise, that our investments
players, that is are in good shape.
Both Gloster and Srinivasan have s
melting
The IPL not only aplayers o di
tness backgroucome together,
allows physios toas a team and
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onsiderable time with international teams
s have most physiotherapists attached
with the franchises. Together, they bring
wealth of experience. Yet, opportunities
o share ideas with one another were rare
ntil they joined the IPL. The unique
ynamics involved in handling a team, as
isparate in composition as the IPL sides
re, also offers new learning avenues to
hysiotherapists.
The global exposure in the IPL has not
nly raised the standards of the players, its
aised our standards too, says Gloster. We
et the opportunity to come together as a
ollective and bounce ideas off each other.
opens up communication pa thways.
Srinivasan had an elaborate system in
place, which could be tweaked to suit
individual needs. The range of players under
him covered perhaps the widest gamut,
with Sachin Tendulkar as the seniormost
pro, Kieron Pollard as a gifted athlete and
Ambati Rayudu as an up-and-coming player.
There are certain parameters where Rayudu
will be stronger than Pollard exibility,
for example. But, in terms of strength and
speed, Pollard is far ahead of Rayudu. So
you have to mix and match the tness needs.
Take Sachin. His needs are totally dierent
from all of the others put together.
The only ingredient needed is a proper
knowledge of players tness and injury
histories. The tness parameters for a
cricketer from Australia or South Africa
need to be regularly updated through the
year, says Srinivasan. That gives us a better
understanding of how to prepare him when
he just lands up for 45 to 60 days for the
IPL. If we know how much he has bowled,
what loads his body has taken through the
season, we can train him accordingly and do
a better job of it.
Gloster takes this a step further. As the
only foreign physiotherapist in the IPL who
is permanently based in India, Glosters
views on extending the scope of playertness are well worth listening to.
Its a great opportunity for the BCCI to
pick some of the best physiotherapists in the
country and get them to travel with a team for
the duration of the IPL, says Gloster. The local
physiotherapist will be funded by the BCCI
and will shadow the franchise physiotherapist,
and get eight weeks of experience he would
otherwise have never had. He will take
back those lessons to his association for the
following season and learn to work with
big international stars, understand their
mentalities, their idiosyncrasies.
Glosters idea has merit and is an extension
of some of the things the IPL is lauded for
opening channels between players and
providing opportunities to young Indianplayers to get international experience. Hes
just extending that advantage to the support
sta. Every year we go to the next level.
Advances are made not just on the cricketing
front with skills, but also in how we handle
players, how we train and monitor players
throughout the tournament, says Gloster.
For example, in the rst year, we modelled
ourselves on 50-over cricket, modied for a
much shorter game, but its dierent now.The way we prepare and, importantly, the
way we recover has changed. People will say,
Oh, its just 20 overs, but its not just that.
The intensity is such that its probably very
close physiologically to a 50-over match.
Srinivasan foresees even more ra
changes. In the future we may
ambidextrous cricketers, he says.
left-handed for an over and right-han
the next; bowl right-arm fast one o
and left-arm spin the next. It will b
amazing challenge, but I would love to
somebody like that to train. I havent tra
anyone (like that), so I dont know, bec
its a totally new way of looking at hu
physiology and the capacity and limitat
of it. That may be the future.
It seems a fantastic leap to imagine a fupopulated by cricketers who could giv
Gareld Sobers a run for his money, if n
absolute ability then in the variety of s
owned.
But two decades ago, it would have be
fantastic leap to think of Indians, Austra
and South Africans playing side-by-side
Someone said a long while ago you cannot go below 9.8 seconds in
100-metre run, says Srinivasan. W
happened? Humans keep evolving
pushing boundaries. Thats what will hap
in cricket a lso.
LOOKING AftER thE bOYSSAURAbh SOmANI
The way we prepare and, importantlythe way we recover has changed, sayGloster, the Rajasthan Royals physio.
Andrew Kokinos,
the Melbourne-basedtrainer of Greek origin,was the rst fully-qualiedphysical tness expert
hired for the Indian cricketteam in 1998. Prior tothat, Dr. Ali Irani was the
physiotherapist till 1997and then Dr. Ravindra Chaddhawas hired for a year.
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Since the Indian Premier
Leagues debut seasn in 2008,
cheerleaders have been aninteresting tpic fr discussin,
nd a virtual htbed f cntrvers and
ebate. Althugh it is relativel new tndia, cheerleading riginated in the US
n the 1800s. It is a highl respected and
mpetitive phsical sprt in westernultures, with bth male and female
articipants, sme starting as earl ashe age of ve. They perform cheers,hregraphed rutines lasting frm ne
three minutes, and cmbining dance,mnastics and stunts t enliven sprts
ans. In the US, it is verseen b the United
tates Cheerleading Assciatin, and
there are natinal publicatins dedicated
t the sprt in additin t training centres
and natinal champinships. Man alittle girl dreams f being a cheerleader.
Brought in as entertainment for IPL fans
and to entice sponsors by internationalising
the franchises, the squads for the rst three
years were comprised exclusively of girls from
South Africa, Europe and the US with some
from National Football League teams like theWashington Redskins. The decision to bring
in foreigners instead of allowing Indian dance
professionals to apply for the job seemed
twofold. Very few candidates would present
themselves because of the ridicule and shame
it would bring on their family if they were to
NO dirTy
daNCiNg ThiSB ane cn
use their athletic abilities and dance training
for something like cheerleading. Secondly,
in a society not used to such entertainment
around sporting events, it was a strategy
designed to sell more tickets.
The IPL cheerleaders are traditionally
attractive and fair-skinned Caucasian girls
between the ages of 18 and 23. Although the
IPL originally did have black cheerleaders,
it is not a reality today. During season one,the British press zeroed in on the case of two
English cheerleaders, who were banned from
going on stage at a Kings XI Punjab match
and sent home by the organiser