IPL expansion plans go into overdrive

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Indian Premier League Expansion - What's in it for the fans?

Pune and Kochi have just been announced the new franchises into the Indian Premier League making the BCCI richer by about $700mn. So what's in store for fans and how will this expansion affect the quality of the tournament and scheduling. Let's assume the current format of each team playing all other teams twice home and away plus 2 semis, a 3rd place play-off and Final stays put. The total number of fixtures would then swell from 60 to 94. IPL3 will span 44 days to complete so 94 games could require a 60 day window. This is assuming broadcasters would allow double or triple header gamedays only on weekends. This will further test the ICC's scheduling team and test player loyalties. More games will also mean more of the injuries we've seen within the first week of IPL3. With ten teams now fighting for 4 semi-final spots, midway through the schedule half the teams would be out of the running with an unrealistic chance of winning enough games. This hasnt happened with 8 teams as atleast 6 teams have been in the fray. With a bigger league, teams that performed poorly in the first 3 editions now have an even bigger challenge and their fans may have a longer wait for success which could lead to fans switching allegiances and sponsors pulling out.

Non-cricketing factors that will impact IPL-3

The first two editions of the IPL established 3 factors that affected the success of the teams - player availability, team balance and playing conditions.
Player availability will be less of an issue this year with most short format players free of their international commitments by mid-March. Key players missing March action due to test duty will be KKR (McCullum), Bangalore (Pietersen), Deccan (Ryan Harris), Rajasthan (Watson), Chennai (Hussey). Mumbai are lucky with both Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo free for IPL duty after the last ODI on March 12. Injuries to top players including Zaheer Khan, Jacob Oram, Flintoff may well affect their respective teams.
Team balance is limited by the 4 overseas players rule and the quality of Indian domestic players in the playing XI. Assuming 4 international players each from India and overseas in the XI, this still leaves 3 players that can affect performance. This is where the talent scouts have an important part to play scooping up promising U-19 and domestic players like Gony, Virat Kholi and Manish Pandey. Teams that have got maximum value from their overseas players like Deccan & Delhi have been frontrunners in both editions.
Playing conditions suited the spinners in 2009 due to the IPL being played beyond the scheduled end of the long cricket season. With the short boundaries and smaller stadiums in India, teams with a strong top-order and crafty death bowlers will do well. Expect teams to pack overseas batsmen in their top 4 and rely on their Indian bowlers to do the job. Scoring a minimum of 170 when batting first will be the priority as no target will be safe on the pitches in India.

IPL 2009 Super XI

Five weeks and 56 matches later we are finally at the end of an enthralling and exhausting league phase. Three of the semifinalists Delhi, Deccan and Chennai were expected to be here but Bangalore who were last years so called 'test side' have pipped other heavyweights like Mumbai and Rajasthan to take 3rd spot. Putting together a IPL 2009 XI was easier than I imagined, with the players in my list far surpassing the rest of the competition with their performances. I didnt bother putting a Worst XI since KKR have made that title their own weeks ago. You can put my decision to put Brad Hodge on my list and Dilshan as 12th man down to sympathy for the determination of this great Victorian. Look forward to your comments and feedback.