EyePL: The story so far - Blues Brothers at Cricinfo

Agreed, both those sound ridiculous, but so much about T20 is out of the ordinary and the conventional that it will soon have separate rules and scoring patterns being institutionalised for it. You can’t play it as if it were a compressed version of an ODI or a Test; it’s not. You don’t write text messages in accordance with Wren and Martin rules of grammar, do you?

The teams: After the player auction, I remember telling a friend that Mumbai and Jaipur were the weakest teams. Mumbai was a “Dad’s Army”, and Jaipur seemed to have lost the plot. Shane Warne has proved me spectacularly wrong by inspiring and leading the Jaipur team into close to the top of the table, at this juncture.

Even so, I’m still betting on Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata making the semi-finals. Jaipur and Mohali are my current favourites for the fourth slot. Nevertheless, given that one top-order innings can decide the match (McCullum, Sehwag, Hayden and Gilchrist have all provided examples), any prediction is the equivalent of planning a leisurely stroll on a minefield. That aside, the departure of Hayden, Hussey and Oram is going to have other teams fancying their chances against Chennai.

One question that was raised before the IPL was how the old guard would take to the newest format. Dravid and Laxman have looked completely out of sorts, and need not be first XI sure-shots in IPL 2009. Given his ODI history, Ganguly was expected to relish T20 but even he’s disappointmed. Tendulkar’s been kept away by injury, of course; but the larger message is obvious: the IPL has played out generational change before Indian crowds.

To go back to the mobile phone metaphor, epic novelists cannot, should not be asked to write text messages. In a perfect world, they should fade away with memories of their skills intact.

One classicist who’s shone in the IPL, however, is Glen McGrath, who gave up playing for Australia a year ago. He’s been the bowler of the tournament so far and still looks good for another two years of international cricket. His spell against Bangalore on Wednesday (April 30) night was exceptional by any standards – Test, ODI, whatever. It takes rare courage to quit sport – or anything – when your powers are still with you. McGrath is in that league; he’s done IPL an honour by signing up for it.

The brands: One of the challenges for the eight franchises is to build loyalty to the club, beyond loyalty to an individual player. Those who were Manchester United fans in Bryan Robson’s time, remained United followers in Cantona’s era and are gladly cheering Rooney today. That template is the IPL franchisee’s dream.

It’s unfair to be asking this question in year one, month one, but how have the IPL teams fared in terms of building brand loyalty? There is, of course, a degree of local following – Delhiites back the Delhi Daredevils, Mumbaikars want the Mumbai Indians to win. The real test is how much support a team has garnered outside its base station.

Here, individuals are proving magnets rather than corporate or collective identities. Dhoni’s fans are rooting for Chennai, Sehwag’s adherents for Delhi and so on. Among the owners, Reliance/Mukesh Ambani and Kingfisher-UB/Vijay Mallya could have made a cross-country impact but have been let down by underperforming teams.

To my mind, the biggest success has been Kolkata’s. Knight Riders is seen as Shah Rukh Khan’s team rather than Saurav Ganguly’s. The Shah Rukh tag has brought in incremental sponsorship and following. It’s a wise move. Saurav will be gone in two years or so, Shah Rukh will still be around, and still be iconic. To have a non-player who won’t retire as your “key man” makes good business sense.

Bangalore RC's are running out of time to notch up a win. The lack of batsman who can score real quick is biting them. The middle order is full of grafters which does not help their cause. Knight Riders started well but look to be running out of ideas as of now. When Sachin is back he might inspire a few victories but reaching SF's looks out of range unless Sachin, Jayasuriya and Pollock strike rhythm together for few matches from now on. Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals have been gelling together as a team after an inauspicious start. Deccan chargers have been misfiring for a long time even though they had the longest list of big hitters in their line-up (Laxman's captaincy is not helping either, I guess). Chennai Kings have been fantastic and well led by captain cool Dhoni but if they can sustain the same momentum w/o Hayden and Hussey they are a strong bet for the semifinals. Delhi has the best openers in both bowling and batting. My 4 teams wud be Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh

I am not suprised by how Shane Warnes team has gone. Going back to the draft/auction they for em seemed to be trying to build a team rather than just trying to buy up superstars. They appear to actually be trying to find a competitive side rather than use the side to inflate the ego of the owners as some of the others are i feel.

I still however find the competition fnancially unsustainable and feel that in the long run people will start to become tired of the league in future seasons due to the repitive nature and length and soulessness of the competition. Not to mention the lack of interest from outside India, no matter what the Indians might think this will become a problem.

Also, it still reeks to me of the BCCI trying to show how clever they are to countires liek Australia and England and that approach and ego will only lead to its failure

I think the only way to make hitting a six an event rather than an on demand activity would be to have decent sized boundary ropes. The one thing i have been dissappointed by in the ipl so far is the lack of close finishes.Apart from that the format i think is exciting and here to say.It lends itself to strategy.Captains have to realize that taking wickets is the best way yo contain the opposition and that would always makes for cricket watching experience.50 over cricket has become bland and captaincy,bowling and field setting has become unimaginative.The other thing that i think 20 over cricket does is bring the spinner into play.For long 50 over cricket has suffered from a lack of enterprise form captians picking 4 man seam attacks or a defensive spinner.I think 20 over cricket will bring back the attacking spinner back into the limited overs game,provided we have decent sized boundaries.As long as the idea of 20 ove cricket is a good cricket match it will survive.

Just wanted to note a couple of prescient comments by Andrew and Venkat Reddy.

Andrew is correct in saying that the current business model of the Indian Premier League is financially unsustainable, especially when the league has not proven it's profitability to owners. Subhash Chandra's ICL model of ensuring profitability first, rather than going all out for bling-bling + hope for the best, is clearly the smarter policy.

Venkat Reddy makes a good point that the boundary ropes need to be a sensible size. I think stadiums should be standardized with a perfectly circular field having radius of 150 meters, or diameter of 300 meters. This will make it hard for jokers to hit sixes.

Unfortunately for BCCI fans, the BCCI is not as rich as Indians like to think it is, and cannot afford to modify the current set of stadiums to ensure larger boundaries, without significant loss in spectator capacity. So much for the rubbish that is the BCCI.

I think there have some exciting games in this tournament already. The great thing about 20-20 is that even if a team needs 30 to win of 12 balls, you can never rule it out ensuring most games go close to the wire.

As for sixes, is there a need for bringing the ropes in? Indian outfields are quite small as it is, so why bring the ropes in further? You got to give the fielding teams a chance. We have already seen some catches that have been taken only for the fielder to go over the ropes in the process. In my view a 60 metre boundary is a joke. The minimum should be 75-80 metres long.

When will the authortities realise a six over a 60 metre boundary is not exciting to watch. i mean mishits are going for sixes, it makes a mockery of the game.

Ashok may have taken a call too early on the senior cricketers. In fact in last few matches they have played well albeit in losing cause. Laxman played a nice innings yesterday (he along with Sharma were saving grace for DC, both technically correct and elegant and maintained strike rate in excess of 140. Whereas the big hitters Gilly, Gibbs and Afridi perished for very little). Ganguly played a nice innings as well (his running between the wicket is bad though). Similarly Dravid was one of the lone fighter for his side. Sachin will surely be a success when he steps in. You can argue it's a young man's game but you have Hayden, Gilly, MGrath, Warne, Jaysurya have made their mark and so would indian seniors.

Philip John Joseph makes an exgerrated demand of 300m boundary rope. I wonder who will give that kind of real estate just for a game. Get real man, pulling boundary rope by 10 or 20 m is a good idea, but you can not ask for 300m.

After todays match each team would have played 5 each. At this stage Chennai,Delhi,Jaipur &Mohalli look set for semis.Delhi has played well but batting can let them down. Quick 2 wickets at the top and even a mediocre target may appear stiff. Warne has done a good job.However inexperience of the team as a whole can cost Jaipur. The mantra for others should be to see off Warne for 5/6 an over without wickets (easy said than done) the rest of the bowling looks ordinary. Dhoni has managed his bowling resouces well. With three top players leaving, the unit will have to regroup. Badri showed glimpses of what he can in the opening match,Raina is in good form, if Fleming's form is good and Vidyut (if in the XI) can live up, Huss and Haydo may not be missed. Bowling-Ntini,Goni,Murali,Morkel &Jogi the last over specialist - not a bad line up. Shaun Marsh looks sensational,Yuvi's reserved it for the later part of the tourny. Sarwan,Sanga & Jaya hav'nt dissapointed Bowling needs improvement

More than any other positive of the IPL, I think it is a big gain for players who may never have come out of their small domains and don a national identity. Players like Yusuf Pathan, Manpreet Gony, Ashok Dinda, Ravinder Jadeja and Sidharth Trivedi would never have been noticed for international cricket through domestic circuit. The fact that they are seen to be able to match strides with the best will have a big impact in boosting confidence levels which is so essential to succeed internationally. This apart even the regulars like Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma and Irfan Pathan seem to have sharpened their skills which augurs well for the future of Indian cricket. The money on offer will not affect the game as some traditionalists would have us believe it would.The entertainment as I see it will be modulated to our own prefences in the future versions of IPL. However, rather than having it annually I think once in 2 years will make it an event which the world will look forward to.

1.I think most of the fans agree to the fact that the balance between bat and ball has to redressed, one way or other to make these matches competitive. Every forum has bloggers crying out loud to pull out boundaries and I wish the administrators heed to it.

2) Most bloggers are ready or almost ready to pass judgments whether IPL is a success or not or whether it will succeed or not. Fact of the matter is, this year it’s only a start. It will be good 5 years or so before anybody can pass judgment about the leagues success.

India is inherently diverse and although people for most part coexist peacefully, we all know the divides between north and south and so on and so forth. I for one think, once people start getting hang of it and as rivalries start to build, this franchise system will be a reasonable success if not an outright one.

3) As for free tickets – Does any one know whether any of these franchises are selling season tickets? (I don’t live in India).

PJJ seems to amaze me. Not a single write up goes by without jibes and assertions about the financial poverty of BCCI or of the lack of knowledge on the part of Indian fans (however off topic). Disagreement is OK but he seems to have a special axe to grind.

This IPL extragavanza is a private franchise affair with BCCIs involvement at a minimum. It is impossible to predict long term outcomes for any business venture. Well run and funded ones often fail for unexpected reasons. I also feel that ICC and all major Boards have become power mad and should be recast anew, for many (like me) are losing interest in the game.

And thanks David Worsley for pointing out the geometry issues to PJJ. Diameter of 300m is nearly a kilometer in circumference. Boundaries should be 85m or so, rather than the 75m in many grounds. Extending them to 100 or 125m would be counter productive.

"Jokers" as PJJ puts it, will find 85-90m hits hard to achieve consistently.

After the recent (Daredevils) match, the summary shows that the six hitting records go to players like Gilchrist, Hussey, McCullum, Sehwag et al. I dont think one would classify them as "jokers", for they are established world class players. In fact they are the ones who hit the big sixes (90-100m plus) consistently, even on larger grounds around the world. A tailender's hit may occasionally make it, but that is no reason to generalize. Despite better bats etc. a 85m + hit will be seen only from top order batsmen. My guess is 85m makes it just tempting enough to try, giving the bowler a chance as well. I certainly will like such tight encounters. There will also be a temptation to run all four after a stroke, setting up a run out if the fielding is sharp. A tournament or two should sort this out.
Most importantly, super large grounds do not provide good visibility of the playing area esp. from the back rows. Those tickets will not sell. Higher capacity with lower fill% does not help.

To me, IPL is a big joke. Its okay for OZ and SAFAS grounds to bring in ropes; but to bring in ropes at indian grounds is height of comedy. We've already seen on a few occassions when fielders have crossed ropes while catching or fielding few mishits. The boundary riders have only a couples of meters at their disposal; you might as well dont have fielders in the ground. Only bowler bowls and batsman hits...no fielders.

Secondly, the icon players ganguly, dravid and laxman (unlucky to miss icon status?)...where do they stand? IPL team franchise is paying these guys huge amounts for next five years for this paltry performance? Their performance really sums up their career...they were able to score runs for themselves but their team becomes poor.

The IPL was always going to fail, and it soon will. It was only conceived because the power hungry BCCI realised that, despite their resistance, the ICL had formed a viable cricket league right under their noses.

However the greatest mistake of the BCCI was to try to organise this rival copycat (they even imitated the name; IPL....ICL) in eight months. The ICL was 2 years in planning, which is why, (even with BCCI and ICC backlashes against its players), it has been a runaway success.

The BCCI has realised that their copycat league needs to manufacture a hitherto nonexistent fanbase, and so have artificially created a smoke-and-mirrors fiesta, to distract punters from the fact that it is all fake. Boundaries of 60 metres would be sneered at in school cricket, and should be reason to withdraw accreditation to any offending ground.

McCullum's 158 was to be expected and has lost its potency. Pah, my grandma could hit 60 metres!

I think the whole IPL theme is pretty exciting, with some massive hitting, instant wickets & above all the film stars, cheerleaders & music & dance. I don't quite agree with AM that this is repetitive, obviously everything is repetitive, 50 overs game or test cricket. Let's not get too critical.

Everything has scope for improvement. I thinks IPL has a good future, crowds are loving it. Maybe the Lalit Modi & Co. can mix some desi tracks with more of pop & rock music, so as to capture the international audience.

But I quite agree with AM's remarks that players like Dravid, Ganguly & Laxman,Kaif r really not suited for this format. Not sure how they got their bids & iconic status.

Overall this has catapulted India to the global scene, let's hope players don't get carried away & still play properly for the country. I've got some cool ideas for the improvement of this T20 tournament, any takers, let me know.

PJJ:
I would like the details of that "speculative" 160m cricket six, ie player, ground, method of measurement etc. (The biggest I have seen officially recorded is around 120m). This seems like a very high number for me, for at least one major reason; the coefficient of restitution, or roughly a "bounce coefficient".

The Baseball ball is quite different from the cricket ball and when impacted dead center with a modern Baseball bat, can and does go much further due to this innate property of the material. However the bat and ball do not meet very often due to a narrow bat, so we end up with a different game.

Seems like you want to convert cricket into a form of Baseball. Why not watch Baseball then? Fundamentally, cricket is designed to have more contact with some 4s, & 6s. They are very different games despite the similarites.

T20 still stays within the bounds of cricket at its basic definitions and most people would like to see it that way, with some tweaking as discussed above.

Mr.Malik, perhaps a very timely article, I was wondering why no substantial thoughts were put on the forum as yet. Albeit its mounting popularity, I reckon the IPL will fail to capture in the longer run predominantly owing to the fact that the game of cricket is simply not congruent to the thrill and support of a soccer league, the mentor of IPL. As you rightfully pointed out loyalty is a crucial factor which will be adjudicated with time.

To think that T20 is reminiscent of the shorter version of F50 is farcical. Regurgitated sixes by every Tom, Dick and Harry mitigate the significance and appear as ‘yet another one over the ropes’. Whilst it is jam packed with the zeal, traditional cricket will recede if this format is not governed by distinctive rules to indicate its idiosyncratic nature.

The espoused values may be the promotion of international players playing as a team but in reality the tyranny of fiscal factory is likely to make the fool of them as well. Part 2...

Part 2...A glaring example: Ganguly expressed his views about Ponting prior to the IPL opener ‘he is being paid hefty amount of $$ so he has to perform’. So it is all about the money now, is it? At times, it is mesmerizing to see action packed thrillers but on the contrary the longevity appears to be a conundrum and players tend to abdicate their image as a ‘cricket player’.

The inclusion of SRK and all the rest of the brand ambassadors though, is good for the business as you stated, but it may appear as a contagion to the game of cricket with debilitating effects.

The IPL has encroached on the performances of some top global players as the cluttered minds fail to concentrate on the game basics and they are thrown in the arena which fosters the financial factors – the danger lurks in the fact that they find it hard to confront this, until when remains another dilemma.

There are papers by specialists in physics who have done limit calculations of Baseball hits and found that 500+ft hits to be overestimates due to multiple bounces and ordinary ground travel. For a human being it is estimated that most of these large hits are 450 to 470 ft. (ie real max 144 m) allowing for average air resistance, sea level etc. The cricket ball undergoes a less elastic collision so the limit is probably around 120 m by my aprox. calculations, The basic equations are as follows (apologies for the details). The range of a projectile R = (v2 sin2x)/g , where v is the initial velocity, x the angle of projection and g, accel. due to gravity. (9.8m/s/s). At x = 45 we have max. range, as sin 90 is 1. (R is zero for a vertical hit). This assumes zero air resistance and with coeff. of restitution of 1, we get max. on v. (Ideal collision and zero friction etc.) Plugging this above and assuming the ball is delivered at 150kph one obtains a THEORY max of 177 m. (any ball).

Aorticdissection:

The speculative six I refer to, was supposedly hit by Rev R Fellows in practice at Christchurch Ground in Oxford in the year 1856; distance measured from hit to pitch, which is assumed to mean the distance between the point of contact by the ball with the bat, to the point on the ground of first bounce, immediately after contacting the bat. Apropos your concern that I would like to baseballify cricket, you need not worry yourself too much. While I support the legalization of chucking, this is more from the practical perspective of making it easier for the umpires, and in any case would presumably reduce the number of runs being scored and make the batsman more defensive, i.e. LESS basebally behaviour from the batsman. I also prefer bigger grounds to keep the ball in play. Generally speaking, baseball grounds are smaller than their cricket counterparts. I also think the mass of the cricket ball should be reduced to the level of a baseball, to increase bowling speed.

With the success of the IPL and T20 having been accepted all over, I think the 50 over format will soon be a thing of the past. The vast difference between Test match cricket and Twenty 20 will ensure that only these two forms will co-exist in the future. Though I am a bit of a traditionalist myself and though I had serious reservations about T20 games when they started,I have been impressed enough with the high level of professionalism and superlative performances in the IPL games to say that I may not like to see 50 over matches any more. That apart, one does'nt have to spend 8 hours waiting for a verdict when one can get it in just 3 hours. Perhaps my line of thinking will get endorsed in the success or failure of the next World Cup for 50 over ODI slated to be in India. It is significant because if crowds do not turn up in India the dye will have been cast for the future of this form of the game.

I agree with you on chucking allowance esp. on T20. It should be another variation and just announced by the bowler like 'over the wicket' etc. it could make the game interesting. Ground size and boundary ropes however need to extended just a bit like I said earlier to 85m or so to equalize things.

One can have some big hits in a game which people like, and contests as well. Flighting spinners could get more penetration. I also agree that ODIs have become somewhat boring. Small changes could make T20 sustainable. The cost of larger grounds (real estate) will kill the business.

Most grounds around the world will find it tough to get to 85m; (they range from 65-85m) anything more would incur very high cost. The public may not pay for that. Many county grounds in England and West Indies have small boundaries and simply dont have any more room to expand. We may then end up limiting T20 to major facilities, which will localize the game too much.

I think people read to much into this. The IPL is there for entertainment. It doesn't intend to take over odi's, let alone test cricket. It should not be expected to do so either. Leave real cricket to counties, states and provinces and let this be the bit of fun it was intended to be.

The IPL is an awesome tournament that brings players from all over the world together to share their expertise, build friendships and it gives exposure to the future stars without the pressure of international cricket.

Long may it live as a filler for cricket mad supporters who can't get enough of their heroes. Most of us go months without seeing them between tours/seasons. As for Warne, McGrath, Pollock etc. etc: "Thanks for giving us this final gift. We missed you..."

Shortening the game is by itself not a bad thing; most of the other games are doing it. Badminton did it by removing serve changeovers, and table tennis did it by reducing the number of points to eleven (as opposed to twenty-one).

But in both the games, the crucial detail is that care had been taken to keep the essence of the game intact. If Test match cricket is too long, then shorten it. But why reduce the number of innings?

T20 will enjoy a honey-moon period, just like its fifty over brother. But I suspect they will both soon give way to a fifteen overs a side format with two innings - which preserves the essence of test match cricket and also makes it short.

If teams were allowed only ten wickets for both innings and if first innings wins carry points too, then we can make enough room for grafters and hitters alike. It will be awesome, and I don't think it's a long time coming.

Here's hoping.

As a cricket-mad Australian I've really enjoyed the tournament so far (although the late nights have made getting up for work difficult). My only complaints are that I agree the boundaries are too small and some of the camera work hasn't been up to scratch.

My favourite part has been seeing my favourite cricketers from different countries playing together. Generally the only time we see the players in the Australian team playing is when they are playing for Australia (they're pretty much never available for their State teams). So I have to support them all, even the ones I don't like. Now I finally get to cheer against Ricky Ponting and for VVS Laxman!

The major problem in expanding the popularity will be getting people outside India to identify with particular teams. Right now I think people are probably just enjoying the cricket without really caring who wins. Perhaps the various franchises should try to form 'sister-team' relations with overseas cities/districts.

I still believe the inventors of T20 missed a trick by splitting the 20 overs over two innings. It brings back the element of teams having a second chance after cascading to 35/4 in the first innings.

Anyway that being said, the only way to sustain spectator interest is by incorporating a trading deadline for mid-season trades and trading guidelines in general with restricted and unrestricted free agency for players and coaches much like the NBA!! This makes it interesting when teams deficient in a certain area look to improve by making a huge trade and adds to the drama.

I also wouldn't mind seeing gimmicks like hit the ceiling for 10, or hit it into the stands for 8 or hit it out of the stadium for 12. Essentially a 6 rewards a better (or atleast a longer before first bounce) shot, and same can be extended further.

I think the balance of 20/20 cricket (and also 50-over cricket) is way too biased towards the batsman. Who wants to be a bowler if you are only allowed one bouncer (and it cannot even be higher than shoulder height too, or it's wided, and then no-balled on the second attempt with a warning!!), and bowl it just an inch on the leg side, and you have to bowl it again, with a run added to the opposition.

Yes, cricket is about the runs, but comon, what is more exciting, seeing 3 6's being hit of 6 balls, or watching a batsman's stumps cartwheeling behind him!!!

I have to aggree with the many comments re the boundry ropes being moved out. I don't mind a batsman "trying" to hit a six and connecting, but when he is merely fending off a good delivery, why should it go for a six!!

Bowlers need to be brought back into the shorter versions of cricket. That is why test cricket is still way better, because you know that you have to take wickets to win test matches, not just make 100's of runs!!

IPL is so good, it brings lots of new things to CRICKET. Man mangement will play a big part like in football. If they can bring in the the SUPER SUBSTITUTE concept back into picture, it will be more interesting to see how the captains and the coaches respond. This will need more man management skills and it will take cricket to the next level of thinking.

Bowler will now need to be more creative to keep the runs down.Bowling is not completely out of picture in 20-20. If you call a 4 run over a economical in 50 overs match, we have to accept that 7 or 8 runs a over is economical in 20-20.

The management will now need to look for more local talents with the cost of foreigners growing, they will now need to open there own coaching centers!!!

TonyP:
My calculations were based on certain reasonable assumptions, but they were based on a number of factors including many you alluded to. I did not want to go into detailed higher order calculations here, but I did not pull the 150 kph out of the hat either. It is a good faith upper estimate after crunching some numbers.

My intent was to show that many of the claims that PJJ had earlier quoted (from websites) were overestimates (for both Cricket and Baseball) and had not been properly verified. I took the current properties of materials used and a good cricketer as the model. Clearly, if one were to change the materials (bat and ball) and get a super strong bloke to really whack it, things could change.

This brings on another point; it will be harder to hit a slow bowler to the max. distance. Taking this to an extreme, we can see why the "underarm incident" was effective. Trevor C. rolled it along the ground, but even a slow underarm lob would have done it.

The people writing off IPL in it's first week are probably not only pessimistic, but also narrow-minded individuals who lack objectivity and tend to make decisions based on their emotions led by their preconceived notions. They are writing it off just because they don't like it.

The cricket has been great. The players performing have been the ones who perform well in the ODI or Test arena anyways.

The amount of time viewer saves, yet gets entertainment, is extraordinary.

Domestic players who never get a platform to display their skills internationally are getting a splendid opportunity.

Players from all different countries are playing together, that can only lead to good things, not just for cricket but just for humanity. And who cares if they are doing it for money, they still are professionals and are doing a job. I'm sure everyone writing the comments here works for money, and hopes to get a raise if they are performing well.

Part 2 Continued....

As for the people saying it's not cricket but a Bollywood fashion show. Did T20 not have cheerleaders before? Have viewers not seen Film Celebrities at cricket/sporting events before? And plus I'm sure that if anyone of the viewers watching the IPL wanted to see the celebrities, they would watch a HINDI MOVIE, not a cricket match where the CRICKETES are the 'celebrities'.

And comparing IPL to EPL would be completely illogical and scientifically unfair. The EPL has been around for 18 years. EPL has gotten the 'club loyalties' over a long period of time. And the EPL in 2008 isn't what it was when first started. Ammendments are made to every sport. So, over time IPL will get make ammendments to it's rules and regulations too.

SUGGESTIONS: BOUNDARIES NEED TO BE MADE THE SAME SIZE AS ODI AND TESTS. IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE ACCREDITED IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS ODI'S AND TESTS. PLUS IT DOES MAKE THE GAME MORE INTERESTING AND FAIR.

So people look at T20 and IPL from a positive point of view.

Aorticdissection and tonyp:

I'm going to have to side with tonyp. The bowler's delivery speed is not necessarily equivalent to the speed of a ball off the bat. In theory, a bat swung at the speed of light, would force the ball to travel at a much greater speed than the bowler might deliver it at. Therefore, at best, Aorticdissection could argue that the physiological limitations that apply to bowlers, should apply to batsmen too. While strictly speaking this is true, in practice, the bat allows you to break free of your physiological limitations. Hitting a ball with a bat is not the same as throwing a ball; witness the record for the longest baseball throw at 445 feet and 10 inches by Glen Gorbous, when 500 foot homers off the bat are par for the major league course. Clearly, if Shoaib can deliver a ball at 100 mph, the use of a bat will up the ante. Aorticdissection also neglects to consider the angle of the hit. A PERPENDICULAR whack gives the ball TWO velocity vectors.

I have very positive view toward IPL. In a couple of years, the league should evolve into a better cricketing event rather than an entertainment event. It is very similar to how ICL progressed. ICL in the first year was average but the second event provided quality cricket and much need close games.

Short boundary has been a generic problem with Indian grounds. For IPL, The boundaries have got even smaller to make room for dug outs, cheer girls, mascots etc. Definitely they can be removed to make more space. The ICL had built a multi purpose stage in the spectator stands. IPL get inspiration from these ideas.

I like the champions league concept recently announced at Lords cricket ground. Get people from all T20 leagues like IPL, standford T20, PPL (Pakistani Premiere league), ECPL (English Cricket Premiere league) and few others. And for Gods Sake include ICL teams. The ‘Lahore Badshahs’ or ‘Hyderbad Heros’ are as good as some of the IPL teams.

You've addressed the teams, format and brands, I'd like to hear your views on a few other facets; production and presentation, innovation, the IPL Council's role so far and finally the team management's effects. Its my view that SetMax's presentation has been abysmal, what with bickering anchors, ads interrupting play and poor sound filtration.

While the league has embraced fiscal innovation (well even here its aping leagues abroad), it has disappointed along other lines. From the corny Google Earth zoom-in of the stadiums to the cheerleaders, the presentation has borrowed heavily from Zee, but ignored the ideas that might improve cricket for this format.

A look at the comments here show there is no dearth of ideas, but the IPL doesn't seem interested, even though its makes commercial sense to tap this. The IPL website has been the most disappointing with sections still under construction. Unlike football leagues, there seems to be little interest in team's managements.