The Changing Phase of Indian Premier League

The 2020 Changing Phase of Indian Premier League ended some days ago in UAE. The Mumbai Indians became champions for a record fifth under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. However, the BCCI and the existing Board have already started plans for next year’s IPL. They are planning to add 2 additional groups to IPL to form a 10-team league. Apart from that, we might see a mega Auction and changes in rules in early 2021.

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Brief History of Changing Phase of Indian Premier League

BCCI announced a franchise-based Twenty20 cricket competition on 13th September 2007. The idea of IPL was put forward by Lalit Modi, the then Vice President of BCCI. Initially, a seven-man council constituting Indian players and BCCI members was assigned to govern the functioning of IPL.

Following the English Premier League, IPL was launched in the year 2008 in New Delhi. The competition format was similar to the English Premier League and NBA of America.

The owners of the new franchise were selected through an auction held on 24 January 2008. The owners included business tycoons, Bollywood celebrities and media houses. 8 teams based in cities Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai were the first franchises. All the franchises were sold for $ 723.59 million. 

In 2010, the IPL had two more franchises the Pune Warriors India and Kochi tuskers Kerala. Sahara sports group bought the Pune team while Rendezvous Sports World bought Kochi Tuskers Kerala. In 2012, BCCI terminated the 2009 champions, Deccan Charges following the issue of not finding new owners. The newly named Sunrisers Hyderabad bought by Sun TV Network joined IPL From October 2009.

The  Pune Warriors India withdrew in May 2013 because of financial differences.  Pune Warriors was officially terminated by BCCI in October 2013 for not providing the necessary bank guarantee. BCCI suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan royals for 2 years from 2015, for their role in match-fixing. Two new teams the Rising Pune Supergiant and the Rajasthan Royals replaced Chennai and Rajasthan for the two seasons.

Awards in Changing Phase of Indian Premier League include the orange cap, the purple cap and the most valuable player. The orange cap is awarded to the top run-scorer of this season. The winner of the orange cap wears it throughout the tournament until the next winner. The purple cap is for the top wicket-taker of the season. He can also wear the cap throughout the tournament.

The most valuable player award was called the Man of the Tournament award till the 2012 season. The topper of the most valuable player rating list wins this title Changing Phase of Indian Premier League. 

IPL Wins Over Years

From the inception of the Changing Phase of Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians have won 5 times, Chennai Super Kings won 3 times, Kolkata Knight Riders won two titles and three other teams, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad won one each. Mumbai Indians won the 2020 title beating Delhi Capitals. Mumbai Indians is the most successful Changing Phase of Indian Premier League team so far. Rajasthan Royals captained by Shane Warne were the first champions. 

Image: BCCI

Tournament Format

Each team plays against each team twice. The top four teams on the list qualify for the final matches. The top 2 teams played their first Qualifying match. The winner of the match gets the direct chance to play the finals. The losing team gets a second chance to play a qualifying match. The third and fourth-ranked teams play against each other, and the winning team plays against the loser for the first Qualifying match. So, the winner of the second qualifying match makes it to the final.

What makes IPL interesting?

Changing Phase of Indian Premier League was an excellent blend of cricket and entertainment which attracted many people who never watched cricket before. It involves a lot of stuff celebrity, controversies, cheerleaders, glamour and curiosity. Another advantage is that IPL is like Twenty20 cricket.

It is fast and is usually played for a duration of 2 hours, which makes the game exciting. IPL is heavily advertised and marketed with stars, attracting a lot of people. We can see the rise of new talents.

IPL Match Rules

• There is no time limit for the teams to complete their innings in Changing Phase of Indian Premier League. This is because Changing Phase of Indian Premier League games use television timeouts. Any team found misusing this privilege has to pay a penalty.
• Each team gets two and a half men in a strategic timeout during each innings. One has to be taken by the bowling team between 6th and 9th overs. The second one should be taken by the batting team between the 13^th and 16^th overs.
• From 2018, each team gets one chance to review the umpire’s decision per innings using the Umpire Decision Review System.

Team Composition Rules

• The team must consist of a minimum of 18 members and a maximum of 25 members. The maximum number of overseas players allowed in a team is 8.
• The total salary of the entire team should be below $850 million.
• The Team should not consist of under 19 players unless they have a variance of First Class or List A cricket.
• A maximum of 4 overseas players can play in a match from a team of 11.
• The term of a player with a team is for one, it can be later extended by 1 or 2 years. Player contracts dominated in US dollars until 2014 and now the contract is made in Indian Rupees.

Selection rules

• Each team must have one wicket-keeper and a maximum of two.
• All the teams must have at least 3 batsmen and a maximum of 5.
• Every team must have one all-rounder and a maximum of three.
• Each must have at least 3 bowlers and a maximum of 5.
• Each team must have one uncapped Indian Player

Points Breakdown

Each batsman will receive 0.5 points for 1 run and 0.5 points per boundary bonus. He gets 1 point for a six. The points for half-century and century are 4 and 8 respectively. The batsman loses 2 points for a duck. The fielder receives 4 points per catch and 6 points per run out or stamp. The 4 points are awarded to the bowler for a throw leading to a runout. The bowler gets 10 points for each wicket. He also gets 4 points per maiden over.

The New Expected Rules for 2021 IPL

• Playing format: The playing format of Changing Phase of Indian Premier League will change with the addition of more teams. All the teams will be divided into two different groups with teams in the same group playing against each other.
• A number of foreign players: As mentioned before, the number of overseas players in a team was 4. The new rule has increased the number to 5. The perfect mixture of the same number of overseas and Indian players makes it more exciting.
• X factor: teams can change strategy at the 10^th over of the first innings. One player can be replaced with an X factor player.
• Power Surge: This rule is to be first implemented in the Australian Big Bash League. This rule is all about splitting the power play. The file says that the power play will be in the first four overs instead of the first six overs. After the 10^th over, the batting team can use the power surge of 2 overs.

Proposal to increase the number of teams in Changing Phase of Indian Premier League will be put forward in the BCCI Annual General Meeting scheduled on 24^th of December. If the proposal for increasing the number of teams is accepted, these rules might get implemented. There are reports that if two new teams are to be added, the ninth team will be from Gujarat.

The Sports star gave reports stating the BCCI’s intention to provide one team to Kochi franchise as compensation for wrongful termination of Kochi Tuskers. BCCI has to pay over 5000 crores to the Kochi franchise as a compensatory measure. There are speculations that the ninth team might be owned by Adani, South superstar Mohanlal or Salman Khan.

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