Lalit Modi, a businessman by profession, founded the Indian Premier League in 2008. The league has eight teams contesting in the league. It will interest you that all the eight teams represent different cities within India.
The Eight teams came up because of the popularity of cricket sports and as a result of the national team win in the year 2007. It is limited to twenty over per game, and up to eighty minutes for each round.
- How it Starts
It is an annual tournament that takes place yearly from March to May, lasting approximately seven weeks. Several changes are within the teams over time, due to reasons like:
- Financial capabilities
- Penalties imposed
This year’s IPL premier league dates changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Teams Constituted in the IPL
The initial IPL had eight teams, and each team represented a different town. The towns are; Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore and Mohali, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Jaipur. During the founding phase of the tournament, there were various reasons to determine the town per team.
Rajkot, Kochi, and Pune teams have been dominating the tournament since it’s inception. However, the ones playing in 2020 are the same as they were when the IPL began in 2008.
Hyderabad Franchise has changed its name to Sunrisers Hyderabads from the famous Deccan Changers.
Each team has fans who choose them based on facts like the town of origin, or just natural liking. They get opportunities to bet on the IPL, not to mention the celebrations after their favorite teams win the league. Betting on cricket is huge in India and when the IPL season starts they go crazy about this.
- How the IPL Team Selection Works
The team selection has two phases:
- The league
- The knockout
The eight teams compete against themselves in the league phase. It is from here that they are either knocked out of the tournament or continue.
A team must have two points to win. If it has zero points, it is a loss, and it gets out. Each team meets twice with another, taking a round-robin way of elimination.
After four teams get eliminated, two top teams compete in the first qualifier phase. The best team enters the final draw. For the teams that got knocked out, they also get into the second qualifier phase, competing against each other.
The winning team also enters the final draw. The losing team gets eliminated, while the winner faces the first qualifier. Two from both qualifiers compete against each other, which leads to the overall winner of the league
- How The Players are Selected
Player selection is in phases. Each team acquires its players playing in windows, and it makes it easy due to their capabilities.
Another way is by player auction. Teams get bidding budgets, where a player sets the base cost, the players then get tendered. The ones left out during the bidding process get the opportunity to be picked by the teams that have not met the number of players expected.
The renewal of a player’s contract is decided upon by the franchise at the end of every year. It is upon assessment of their achievements during the year. One squad has nineteen to twenty-five players.
- The Most Expensive Player in the IPL
Teams rate players differently. Like in auctioning, the most expensive player is Pat Cummins from Australia valued at over $2million. Virat Kohl is rated over $2 million, and his contract was renewed in 2018 by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
- IPL Previous Winners
The winners have always changed over the previous years. However, others like the Mumbai Indians have subsequently beat the Chennai Super Kings for four years. They won the title on three occasions.
They maintained the trophy in 2010, 2011, and 2013 winning on three occasions. There has been no defense for the crown from any other teams.
Rajasthan Royals won the first edition in 2008. They haven’t been able to pick up the trophy since.
Defunct Deccan Changers won the 2019 trophies while the Kolkata Knight Riders became the 2012 and 2014 champions.
Final Thoughts
From the above information, it is clear and easy to understand how the Indian Premier League works. There is no complexity in it. Learning does not only involve its fans; somewhat, anyone interested in sports can get more insight.
