Revision as of 11:00, 25 June 2021

This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

The results of IPL finals, 2008-2016; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, May 30, 2016

Delhi Daredevils: IPL record, 2008-2015; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

1 History
2 Indian Premier League: The economics of
- 2.1 Advertising revenues
3 Coaches in IPL
- 3.1 As in Nov
4 Controversies: 2008-16
- 4.1 Spot fixing case: 2013
- 4.2 Dhoni on the suspension of Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals
5 The IPL numbers
- 5.1 IPL broadcast rights
- 5.2 IPL title rights
  - 5.2.1 2017-22: Vivo pays Rs 2,199 crore
6 Valuation of the IPL
- 6.1 2014-19
7 IPL jinxed for team owners?
8 YEAR-WISE HISTORY
9 2013-14
10 2016
11 2017
12 2018
13 2019
14 2020
- 14.1 Mumbai Indians win fifth title
15 2021
- 15.1 The entire list
- 15.2 The auction

History

Established in 2008

The Times of India, April 8, 2016

Twenty20 cricket became phenomenally popular after India won the inaugural World Twenty20 title in 2007 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The victory not only rejuvenated the Indians fans, who were reeling under the disappointment of the 2007 ODI World Cup, but it also gave way to the conceptualization of the Indian Premier League that has since then not only cashed on the craze but has also changed the way cricket is played in India.

Brain child of the then BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, the IPL was launched in 2008 with much fanfare as a competitive response to the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that was not recognized by the BCCI. Since then the IPL has not only come out as the clear victor but has given birth to various T20 leagues around the world and is the most-attended cricket league in the world. The ICL, with controversies of non-payment and fixing, folded up in 2009.

Following the same format as that of English Premier League (EPL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), the IPL works on a franchise system that were put for auction, where the highest bidder won the rights to own the team, representing each city.

2008: the beginnings

K ShriniwasRao, Apr 05 2017: The Times of India

A Decade After It Set The Benchmark For T20 Leagues, Is The IPL Still Blazing The Trail When It Comes To Innovation?

Ten years ago, on a pleasant afternoon in 2008, when a five-star hotel in the south of Mumbai played host to an Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, the first of its kind in any sport across the world, Sotheby's London auction house was yet to make a killing from a fascinating bronze sculpture -a Swiss masterpiece -waiting to go under the hammer. The winning bid for Walking Man I didn't quite proverbially match up to the cheque written (and the noise made) for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the scale of contemporary European art notwithstanding.

Much later, Richard Madley , the competent London-based auctioneer at IPL for a decade now, would admit -a bit in disbelief and a lot in awe -that sport, much defined like art as an expression of human creative skill, had taken a multi-dimensional leap of faith that astonishing afternoon. Cricket, until then a sport that had been looking to readdress itself in ways that could reassure coming generations of its viability, was given a new life by administrators with twisted hearts and professionals with incredible designs.

This was 2008. India hadn't yet woken up to the idea of leagues until then. By that time, NFL the celebrated American football league was already 88 years old and the NBA the premier men's basketball tournament 62. It was pure innovation at play for IPL, working at multiple levels that helped redraft cricketing philosophies in ways that made the world sit up and take note. Never before had an investor in sport become a bigger talking point than the investment itself.

The results of the finals

2008-16: See graphic.

Impact on cricket in India

The Times of India, April 8, 2016

The first IPL auction took place on January 24, 2008 and the total base price for the auction was $400 million. The auction went on to fetch $723.59 million.

The Mumbai franchise (Mumbai Indians) owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was the most expensive franchise - fetching $111.9 million closely followed by Vijay Mallya's United Breweries which paid $111.6 million for the Bangalore franchise (Royal Challengers Bangalore). Media house Deccan Chronicle won the Hyderabad franchise (Deccan Chargers) for $107 million, while India Cements' Chennai franchise (Chennai Super Kings) cost $91 million.

Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla's Red Chillies Entertainment bought the Kolkata franchise (Kolkata Knight Riders) for $75.09, while Preity Zinta and her then beau Ness Wadia bought the Mohali team (Kings XI Punjab) for $76 million. Infrastructure development group GMR bagged the ownership of the Delhi team (Delhi Daredevils) for $84 million and the Emerging Media, consisting of its CEO Fraser Castellino, Manoj Badale and Lachlan Murdoch and other investors won the rights for the Jaipur franchise (Rajasthan Royals) for $67 million.

The maiden edition of IPL had eight teams comprising a minimum of 16 players each. The tournament lasted for 44 days and involved 59 matches. And since then the league has had its share of controversies and seen many ups and down.

Two new leagues - Pune Warriors India (bought by the Sahara group for $370 million) and Kochi Tuskers Kerala (purchased by Rendezvous Sports World for $333.3 million) - were brought in before the fourth season of the league in 2011. But the Kochi Tuskers were soon terminated for breaching the BCCI's terms and conditions.

2009 champions Deccan Chargers were suspended in 2012 and then renamed Sunrisers Hyderabad under new owners Sun TV Network. But the biggest shock came in 2013 when the IPL was rocked by the fixing and betting scandal and many big names got embroiled in the controversy and it resulted in not only a few heads being rolled but entire teams were suspended. After two years of trials and tribulations, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two seasons.

Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai on charges of spot-fixing during IPL 6. Sreesanth and Chavan were subsequently banned for life by the BCCI's disciplinary committee.

Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two seasons. Dhoni and his longtime Chennai Super Kings teammate Suresh Raina were picked to play for opposing teams in the first-ever player draft of the IPL that was held in Mumbai on December 15, 2015.

Rising Pune Supergiants, the Pune franchise bought by Kolkata-based businessman Sanjiv Goenka, expectedly picked Dhoni as the first player for Rs 12.5 crore and Intex Technologies owner Keshav Bansal, who invested in Gujarat Lions, picked Raina as the first choice followed by Ravindra Jadeja - the local Saurashtra boy who has grown up playing in Rajkot.

The two new franchises paid Rs 12.5 crore to the first player they picked at the draft, Rs 9.5 crore to the second, Rs 7.5 crore to the third, Rs 5.5 crore to the fourth and Rs 4 crore to the fifth. The two franchises had a limited purse of Rs 66 crore to form their squads for the season and a minimum spending of Rs 40 crore was mandatory between the draft and the auction in February. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson emerged as the biggest draw going for a whopping Rs 9.50 crore bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore but it was Pawan Negi who turned heads with a mind-boggling deal of Rs 8.50 crore by Delhi Daredevils to be the costliest Indian buy in the 2016 IPL players' auction.

With corporate megabucks, Bollywood glamour and the frequent sound of wood thumping leather, the IPL has revolutionized the sport in the way it was played and cricketainment has been the new word to describe the evolution of a new chapter in history of cricket. The Indian Premier League has proved that cricket will never be the same again.

Records

2008-16, some 2017: See graphic.

IPL records, 2008-16, some 2017; The Times of India, April 5, 2017

2008-18/ Captains, stars who dropped themselves from the team

April 3, 2018: The Times of India

April 26, 2018: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

In 2008, Mumbai Indians had to choose Shaun Pollock as their third captain of the season after stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh was suspended

In 2012, Ricky Ponting stepped aside handing over the reigns to Rohit Sharma, who lead Mumbai Indian to the title

In 2015, Steve Smith announced at the toss that he has replaced Shane Watson as captain of Rajasthan Royals

VVS DROPS HIMSELF FOR GILLY (2008)

Originally named as the Icon Player for Deccan Chargers before the first season of IPL, VVS Laxman gave up the status in a bid to allow his team spend more at the auctions. However, the genial Hyderabadi dropped himself from the team halfway through the season after the team’s poor run.

It allowed Adam Gilchrist to take over as the captain. ‘Gilly’ led the side in the next two seasons as well, and DC won the title under him in 2009.

DHAWAN MAKES WAY FOR SAMMY (2014)

In 2014, the Sunrisers Hyderabad announced that they’d ‘relieved’ Shikhar Dhawan of the burden of captaincy and appointed West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy as the new captain for the rest of the IPL season, hoping that the move will help Dhawan bat more freely. Sammy was included in the side and straight away thrusted into the captaincy role. Dhawan had managed only 215 runs in his first 10 outings as captain.

SANGA DROPS HIMSELF (2012)

While leading the Deccan Chargers in the 2012 IPL, Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara was enduring an ordinary run. He not only gave up the captaincy mid-stream but even dropped himself from the playing XI, making way for Australian big-hitter Cameron White to accommodate four overseas players in the XI. However, the move did not yield the desired results as Deccan Chargers could never get going in the tournament.

PONTING MAKES WAY FOR ROHIT (2013)

In 2013, Mumbai Indians began on shaky note when they lost three out of their first six matches. Skipper Ricky Ponting wasn’t in the best of form. The batting great decided to step down and handed over the reins to Rohit Sharma against Kolkata Knight Riders. MI eventually went on to clinch the title under Rohit, even as Ponting kept cheering the team from the sidelines.

VIJAY REPLACES MILLER (2016)

Struggling at the bottom of the points table in 2016, Kings XI Punjab made a bold move by removing David Miller, who had struggled with both the bat and leadership, as the team’s captain with Murali Vijay, even as they had 10 league matches remaining.

“David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad,” KXIP said in a statement. Till that stage, Kings XI had won just one match out of six. Till that point, Miller had only managed to score 76 runs while Vijay had amassed 143.

An overview, 2008-19

Partha Bhaduri, April 18, 2020: The Times of India

There was a moment inside the sweltering cauldron of the Chinnaswamy Stadium all those years ago, on April 18, 2008 to be precise, when the still-nebulous Indian Premier League (IPL) acquired a wonderfully original and totally preposterous life of its own. Like most epoch-defining moments, it wasn’t exactly part of the script.

It was just two overs into the Royal Challengers Bangalore chase, but the hosts already seemed in disarray at 9/1. They had begun the innings looking bereft of hope, having been numbed into submission by Brendon McCullum’s unexpected and, at that time, unbelievable assault on their bowlers. The young, pacy Ashok Dinda steamed in to bowl for the Kolkata Knight Riders, and promptly got Virat Kohli to chop a short, wide one on to his stumps. The Chinnaswamy exploded.

The dismissal should have been greeted with stunned silence. Instead, up in the aisles, a prancing KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan discovered to his amazement that the whole stadium was dancing along with him, roaring its approval. Dinda was fist pumping at the crowd, which would continue its carnival merriment for the rest of the game.

That night, Bengaluru didn’t seem to care that their own home team, packed to the gills with Test stalwarts, had unravelled before their eyes.

A trend was set. This wasn’t about team loyalties anymore. It wasn’t about fan favourites either, but something totally alien to sporting leagues, a kind of collective joie de vivre that would propel the IPL to unprecedented heights and reshape the game’s dynamics, both within the field and beyond it. In that first season, crowds across the country’s giant stadiums revelled as the sheer audacity of it all hit home. Indian cricket was shedding its garb of tradition in full public glare, demolishing national-team boundaries and embracing an insatiable appetite for change.

This was cricket’s version of hip-hop, a deep cultural revolution, not some transient, silly hit-and-giggle gimmick. The IPL wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan thing but a stable entity which would usher in democratic norms in a hierarchical cricketing order. It would redraw the bounds of the financially possible.

Players would be auctioned off, permanently altering their non-monetary valuations in the eyes of coaches. Cricketing mercenaries would be born. And like most revolutions, the IPL would acquire a dark side.

That first match was a dream launch. McCullum’s extraordinary 73-ball 158, then the highest T20 score, contained 13 sixes and 10 fours, including, at one point, a scoop over fine leg for six off Zaheer Khan. That innings was an early pointer to the format’s fundamental redrawing of balance between bat and ball.

What was remarkable was that this wasn’t just a plonk-your-front-foot-andhit-through-the-line type of pitch. RCB’s batting order, comprising Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Kohli and Jacques Kallis, were used to ‘proper’ cricket and ‘proper’ responses to given situations. They lost by 140 runs.

That first IPL evening was also the first time the IPL made conventional batting seem uncool. In fact, the first IPL edition included all the pointers of things to come. Shane Warne used strong backroom support, tactical nous, swagger and positivity to scythe through opponents, laying the marker for modern T20’s constant craving for data analysis. Old warhorses like Adam Gilchrist and Sanath Jayasuriya showed that their withering frames were still suitable for belting boundaries. Since then, the IPL has been a league of veterans as much as youngsters, in spite of heightened fitness levels and fielders hunting in packs while flirting with boundary ropes.

Innovative shots, broadened bats and quick fixes by hapless bowlers, the first IPL had it all. It also had something that wouldn’t be seen again: the presence of Pakistani cricketers. Virender Sehwag became the first to declare that IPL performances should count towards national selection. Brett Lee said, “If we look back in 10 years’ time, this tournament is going to be a massive landmark.”

By 2014, the IPL was ranked sixth in terms of eyeballs among global sporting leagues. By 2015, each IPL edition was contributing around $160 million to the GDP. By 2017, Star India would be buying the broadcast rights for $2.55 billion. By 2018, 1,112 players would register for the auction and the franchises would spend Rs 600 crore to build their teams. Just before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Duff and Phelps calculated that the IPL brand valuation had soared 13.5% to Rs 47,500 cr.

It seemed nothing, not even the 2013 match-fixing scandal which led to the banning of two teams, could make a dent in the IPL’s soaring graph. Nothing, that is, until the coronavirus. While it’s a given that sporting leagues are not immune to global economic shocks, sporting activity has been hit hardest by the social-distancing norms this pandemic necessitates.

How long will it be till we can flock without fear to stadiums like we used to? Will future IPL games be live streamed from empty stadiums, neutering the league of its emotive appeal? What will the IPL look like in 2022, when the sponsorship rights may be up for grabs again?

Worryingly, is the age of the megabuck sporting league over? According to some estimates, the IPL and its peripheral industries could see a hit of Rs 10,000 crore. There has been no pandemic insurance by either broadcaster or board. The revenue model involves selling properties, to broadcasters, sponsors, franchises... what happens when that model is rendered obsolete? What happens when there are no gate receipts, no corporate boxes?

The IPL has always been shaped by significant external events, like India’s 2007 World T20 win which made the concept viable. Now, too, it’s time to look towards other global sporting leagues, and see how they cope. To survive in a post-pandemic world, the IPL must innovate again.

The greatest players, 2008-19

IPL’s Greatest XI, April 18, 2020: The Times of India

IPL 2020 has been postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus. But what is the greatest XI from the 12 seasons played so far? TOI pores over the statistics and rummages through the memories to come up with the team to beat every other team…

Shane Watson (RR, CSK): IPL’s Duracel man. Two-time MVP (2008, 2013). Biggame hunter (MoM, 2018 final). Pips David Warner, 3-time Orange Capper.

M 134, R 3575, SR 139.53, 6s 177, W 92, Ave 29.15, ER 7.93

Chris Gayle (RCB, KXIP): Punisher. Pleasure-provider. Unstoppable sixmachine (326). Nobody comes close.

M 125, R 4484, Ave 41.13, SR 151.02, 6s 326

Virat Kohli (RCB): IPL’s all-time highest scorer (5,412). Master of risk-free, highpressing cricket. Has smashed 191 sixes nonetheless. M 177, R 5412, Ave 37.84, SR 131.61, 6s 190

AB de Villiers (DD, RCB): Virtuoso crowd-pleaser who demonstrates the outer limits of innovation in T20. When he’s in the mood, even a yorker travels beyond the ropes.

M 154, R 4395, Ave 39.95, SR 151.23, 6s 212

MS Dhoni (CSK, RPS): Captain of the team. Ice cool as leader, and at the death. Barring Chacha Chowdhary, nobody calculates a target as precisely as him.

M 190, R 4432, Ave 42.20, SR 137.85, 6s 209, Ct 94, St 38

Andre Russell (DD, KKR): The enforcer. Possesses several gears; partial to the fifth. IPL’s highest strike rate: 186. Hustler with the ball. Two time MVP.

M 64, R 1400, SR 186.42, 6s 120, W 55, Ave 27.96, ER 8.88

Dwayne Bravo (CSK): Master of deception, especially at death. Flies like a bird, prowls like a panther. Can win games with bat too.

M 134, R 1483, SR 128.28, 6s 61, W 147, Ave 24.61, ER 8.39

Sunil Narine (KKR): Inscrutable offbreak bowler. Among the meanest and most consistent. Also has the second highest batting strike rate in IPL history (168). Two-time MVP too.

M 110, W 122, Ave 23.31, ER 6.67

Rashid Khan (SRH): IPL’s stingiest (ER 6.55). Match-winning leg-break bowler. Loves a challenge. Generally wins it.

M 46, W 55, Ave 21.69, ER 6.55

Lasith Malinga (MI): That slinging action. That mop of hair. That sound of stumps crashing. IPL’s highest wicket-taker ever. Key figure in MI .

M 122, W 170, Ave 19.80, ER 7.14

Jasprit Bumrah (MI): New master of unplayable yorkers. Player of the Match in 2019 final. His best is yet to come.

M 77, W 82, Ave 26.60, ER 7.55

12th man: Pollard (MI): All-purpose star

Coach: Stephen Fleming (CSK): With MS Dhoni as captain, he built the IPL’s most consistent team .

The most memorable matches, 2008-19

—Compiled by Hindol Basu, April 18, 2020: The Times of India

RAJASTHAN’S INCREDIBLE RUN

Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals, not the most fancied bunch at the beginning of the tournament, scripted a fairytale win to stretch the bounds of the possible in the very first IPL in 2008. Of course, the tone had been set in the very first game on April 18, with KKR’s Brendon McCullum smashing an incredible ton.

SLAP AND TEARS

That image from 2008 of temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth crying after being slapped by Harbhajan Singh, while his Kings XI Punjab teammate VRV Singh consoled him, will stay etched in our minds. Harbhajan was suspended for the season. Sreesanth confessed later he had been heckling his senior India teammate.

FOREIGN SHORES

The second season coincided with the general elections and the government refused to commit security personnel. Showcasing its financial might, the IPL was moved out of India, to South Africa, by then commissioner Lalit Modi.

THE MONGOOSE BAT

Australia’s Matthew Hayden unveiled his ‘Mongoose Bat’ in 2010, clobbering bowlers with what looked like a cross between a club and a baseball bat. The Mongoose had two distinguishing features: the handle was as long as the blade and the splice, which normal bats have in the blade, was built into the handle to guarantee a clean hitting surface. Needless to say, it was a hit.

GAYLESTORM

‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle upped the ante in Bangalore against Pune Warriors on April 23, 2013, scoring an unbelievable 175 off just 66 balls, the highest T20 individual score. Gayle hit 13 boundaries and an incredible 17 maximums.

THE DARK UNDERBELLY

A spot-fixing scandal rocked the league in 2013 when the Delhi police arrested three Rajasthan Royals cricketers, including Sreesanth. Soon after, Mumbai Police arrested film actor Vindu Dara Singh and CSK’s former team principal Gurunath Meiyappan for alleged betting, cheating and links with bookies. RR team co-owner Raj Kundra too was found to have placed bets on his team. The Supreme Court appointed a committee to probe the affair. Eventually, CSK and RR were banned for two years. The order, which came in 2015, meant the two teams missed the 2016 and 2017 IPL editions.

MUMBAI’S COMEBACK

In 2015, Mumbai Indians lost five out of their first six games, but the team never stopped believing in its abilities. In a dream comeback, they went on to win nine of their remaining 10 matches to lift the title for the second time.

VIRAT, ABD RUN RIOT

The 2016 IPL season will always be known for the amazing batsmanship by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. RCB needed to win four matches in a row to qualify for the playoffs. Kohli and De Villiers recorded a partnership of 229 runs (best in the IPL) against Gujarat Lions to set the ball rolling. Kohli smacked 109 off 55 balls, while De Villiers scored a unbeaten 129 off 52 balls. This was the first time two batsmen scored centuries in an IPL innings.

KOHLI’S FINE FORM

Kohli almost single-handedly guided his team to the title clash in 2016. With 973 runs in 16 games at 81.08, he was the highest scorer. No other batsman has been able to score as many runs in a single season.

‘MANKADING’ CONTROVERSY

In 2019, Ravichandran Ashwin, captaining Kings XI Punjab, ran out Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler at the non-striker’s end without giving him any prior warning. That ‘Mankading’, as the dismissal is known, cleaved the cricketing world in two and sparked off heated debate on the spirit of the game. Though this is a legally permissible dismissal, the issue is yet to be satisfactorily resolved.

‘CAPTAIN COOL’ LOSES HIS COOL

The usually unflappable MS Dhoni lost his composure in a match against RR last year, walking out on to the pitch after just having been dismissed, and lashing out at the umpires over a no-ball confusion. It just wasn’t cricket from one of the game’s great role models.

BLOODIED BUT NOT OUT bb

Shane Watson’s knock for CSK in the 2019 IPL final against Mumbai Indians was one for the ages. He batted through the pain barrier and a bloodied left knee. His 59-ball 80 nearly saw CSK pull off a 150-run chase against MI. Watson needed six stitches after the game.

Indian Premier League: The economics of

2016: Salary of retained players; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India Jan 02 2016

Advertising revenues

Multi Screen Media (MSM), the official broadcaster of Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought on board a total of eight sponsors for the sixth edition of the Twenty20 tournament, which would help it rake in Rs 200 crore more over last year, after lowering its ad rates by 10-15%. Three more sponsors are expected to join over the next two weeks.

The presenting sponsors — PepsiCo and Vodafone — have shelled out around Rs 40-60 crore each while the associate sponsors, which include Tata Photon, Karbonn tablets, Godrej, Samsung Mobiles, Panasonic and Usha Appliances, have paid around Rs 25-30 crore each for being seen on the channel during the tournament.

MSM is looking to earn Rs 950 crore as advertising revenue from IPL-6, up 27% from Rs 750 crore it garnered last year, a senior executive from the company told TOI.

This will be the first time that the IPL will have three feeds — the regular one on SET max, while Sony Six will broadcast a Hindi feed along with an HD one.

Some of the other sponsors likely to be signed on soon for the tournament, which starts on April 3, are Cadbury and Havells — both have had a long-term association with the IPL. This year, MSM has two presenting sponsors and is expected to close nine associate sponsors, up from only five which it managed last year. The channel has also struck large deals with Coca-Cola, Parle Agro, Marico, Berger Paints and Airtel, besides others, filling 70% of its inventory.

“Last year, we had increased the ad rates but could not sell the entire inventory. Our strategy to reduce rates has worked very well and we have seen the interest levels go up. Advertisers from all sectors are on board this year, signaling a revival in sentiments,” said Rohit Gupta, president, MSM.

During 2012, a 10-second ad spot during the IPL had a price tag of Rs 4.5-5.5 lakh, making it a highly premium property. However, reduction in rates has made it far more affordable, said media planners who buy TV airtime for advertisers. “If TV ratings had to fall, it had to fall last year. Now they have stabilized. It is definitely value for money at this rate and with lesser risk,” said Ajit Varghese, MD (South Asia), Maxus, which has bought airtime for telecom major Vodafone.

The IPL reached 170 million eyeballs and clocked an average rating of around 3.27 last year, according to TAM Media Research. MSM’s Gupta said he is expecting the reach to further grow this season. “If there is a big product launch or a new ad campaign, this is a large platform which is a must for any brand. It is a property which is targeted at male audiences, so it works well for brands which directly communicate with this audience group,” said Basabdutta Chowdhury, CEO of Platinum Media, a division of media buying group Madison. This year, soft drink giants PepsiCo is the new title sponsor of the IPL, having paid Rs 396 crore for the next five seasons.

Coaches in IPL

As in Nov

Asheem Mukerji, Nov 30, 2019: The Times of India

COACHES IN IPL

Rajasthan Royals I Indian coaches: 1 (Batting coach: Amol Muzumdar); Foreign coaches: 2 (Head coach: Andrew McDonald-Aus, Fast bowling coach: Steffan Jones-Eng)

Kings XI Punjab I Indian coaches: 1 (Head coach: Anil Kumble); Foreign coaches: 2 (Fast bowling coach: Courtney Walsh-WI, Batting coach: Geaorge Bailey-Aus)

Delhi Capitals I Indian coaches: 0; Foreign coaches: 3 (Head Coach: Ricky Ponting-Aus, Fast bowling coach: James Hopes-Aus, Spin coach: Samuel Badree-WI)

Kolkata Knight Riders I Indian coaches: 0 Foreign coaches: 3 (Head coach: Brendon McCullum-NZ, Chief mentor: David Hussey-Aus, Bowling coach: Kyle Mills-NZ)

Mumbai Indians I Indian Coaches: 1 (Robin Singh); Foreign coaches: 2 (Head coach: Mahela Jayawardene-SL, Bowling coach: Shane Bond-NZ)

Chennai Super Kings I Indian coaches: 0 Foreign coaches: 3 (Head coach: Stephen Fleming-NZ, Batting coach: Mike Hussey-Aus, Bowling Consultant: Eric Simmons-SA)

Sunrisers Hyderabad I Indian coaches: 0; Foreign coaches: 1 (Head coach: Trevor Bayliss-Eng) Royal Challengers Bangalore I Indian coaches: 0; Foreign coaches: 2 (Head coach: Simon Katich-Aus, Bowling coach: Adam Griffith-Aus)

Controversies: 2008-16

The Times of India, December 3, 2016

Controversies associated with Indian Premier Leage, 2008-2016; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, April 14, 2016

1. 2016: Maharashtra asked to shift IPL matches

Bombay High Court asks IPL to shift 13 matches out of Maharashtra due to severe drought in the state.

2. 2015: CSK and RR suspended

Supreme Court suspends CSK and RR for two years. Two new teams, Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions, are introduced. Rajasthan Royals’ leggie Pravin Tambe alleges that his Mumbai teammate Hiken Shah had approached him to fix a few games.

3. 2014: IPL 7 conducted under Gavaskar’s supervision

The first half of IPL-7 is moved out of India to the UAE due to polls, and by SC orders the event is conducted under ex-captain Sunil Gavaskar. The shifting of the final from Mumbai to Bangalore too causes a furore.

4. 2013: Betting allegations hit CSK & RR

Delhi Police arrest three Rajasthan Royals players — S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — on charges of spot-fixing. The scandal overwhelms the IPL when Mumbai police haul up BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings’ team principal Gurunath Meiyappan on charges of alleged betting. The Rajasthan Royals face further trouble when Delhi Police level same charges against co-owner and Raj Kundra. Following intervention by the Supreme Court, Srinivasan is eventually eased out after a long-drawn battle.

5. 2012: Shah Rukh Khan banned from Wankhede Stadium premises

A sting operation exposes cricketers willing to bowl no-balls or indulge in under-hand dealings with franchises, leading the BCCI to ban Mohnish Mishra, Shalabh Srivastava, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali. I t leads to an uproar in Parliament to stop IPL. A heated on-field argument between opposition players Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir also makes for ugly viewing. Then, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is banned from the Wankhede Stadium premises after a scuffle with a Mumbai Cricket Association official. To top it all, RCB cricketer Luke Pomersbach is arrested on charges of molesting an American and assaulting her boyfriend.

6. 2010: Sunanda Pushkar’s ‘sweat equity’ in Kochi

Just before IPL 3, the governing council brings in two new teams, Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers, only for Modi to tweet about shady shareholding patterns and reveal Sunanda Pushkar’s ‘sweat equity’ in the Kochi set-up. The controversy forces Pushkar’s husband, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, to resign. Modi too is forced out.

7. 2009: IPL 2 shifted to South Africa

Then home minister P Chidambaram refuses to provide security for IPL 2 because of general elections, leading then-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to shift the entire tournament to South Africa.

8. 2008: Harbhajan slaps Sreesanth.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh slaps India teammate S Sreesanth in Mohali and is banned, creating a furore.

Spot fixing case: 2013

Some details: Players involved in IPL-spot fixing; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, July 25, 2015

A timeline: Spot-fixing in IPL, May 2013-July 2015; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, July 25, 2015

See the graphics

Players involved in IPL-spot fixing

and

A timeline: Spot-fixing in IPL, May 2013-July 2015

Dhoni on the suspension of Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals

‘WHAT WAS THE PLAYERS’ MISTAKE?’| But Captain Dhoni Admits CSK Erred During 2013 Fixing Saga| March 2019 | PTI

In July 2015, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the cash-rich league for two years for betting activities by their key officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra during the 2013 season.

While Dhoni agreed that then BCCI chief N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Meiyappan was part of the team setup, he said, in what capacity, is open to debate.

“Initially, when Guru’s name came up, (we knew) he was part of the team, all said and done. But in what capacity, that is debatable. Was he the owner, the team principal, the motivator... what exactly was he?

“I don’t know if anyone from the franchise introduced Guru to us as the owner... we all knew him as the son-in-law.”

What mistake did the players make, asked Mahendra Singh Dhoni, opening up on a phase of life made “most difficult and depressing” by the 2013 IPL fixing scandal. Dhoni broke his silence in a docudrama aptly titled Roar of the Lion, which focuses on the scandal that rocked Indian cricket and the ensuing fairy tale comeback by Chennai Super Kings following a two-year suspension for its management’s role in spot-fixing.

Dhoni, who led the CSK to three IPL titles, said they knew a “harsh punishment” was on the cards.

“We did deserve the punishment but the only thing is the quantum of the punishment. Finally we got to know that CSK will be banned for two years. There was a mixed feeling that time. Because you take a lot of things personally and, as a captain, question what did the team do wrong,” Dhoni stated.

“Yes there was mistake from our side (the franchise) but were the players involved in this? What mistake did we, as players, do to go through all of that?”

Recalling the torrid time when insinuations and allegations flew thick and fast, Dhoni said fixing a match requires the involvement of the majority of players.

“They started showcasing in the media or social media as if the team was involved. Is it possible (in cricket)? Yes it is possible, anyone can do spot-fixing. Umpires can do that, batsmen can, bowlers can... but match-fixing needs the involvement of the majority of the players.”

The IPL numbers

The Times of India

IPL broadcast rights

In 2008, the consortium of India's Sony Television network and the Singaporebased World Sports Group (WSG) had secured the rights of the IPL for ten years at a cost of more than $1 billion.As part of the deal, the consortium would pay the BCCI $908 million for the telecast rights and $108 million for the promotion of the tournament. However, in a reworked deal next year, BCCI signed a new deal with MSMPL (Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd) and World Sport Group (WSG) for Rs 8,200 crore with 80% of the amount to come from MSMPL. Later WSG exited the deal after a one-time payoff.

IPL title rights

DLF had bought the title rights of the IPL for five years in 2008 for Rs 200 crore.In 2013, Pepsi bid for the rights for the next five years and won it at Rs 396 crore.

2017-22: Vivo pays Rs 2,199 crore

K ShriniwasRao, Value of IPL title rights surges 455% as Vivo shells out Rs 2,200cr, June 28, 2017: The Times of India

Title Rights, Indian Premier League; June 28, 2017: The Times of India

See graphic, 'Title Rights, Indian Premier League'

Cricket administration may be going through turbulent times in India, but the game's fortunes continue to prosper in a manner that defies imagination .

Chinese mobile-maker Vivo retained the Indian Premier League (IPL) title rights for the next five years at Rs 2,199 crore, a 455% increase over the previous contract. Vivo had taken over the rights from PepsiCo from the 2015 season onwards after the latter expressed its inability to continue with its Rs 396 crore deal for five years. Pepsi had bought the title rights from the 2013 season onwards after IPL's first-ever title rights deal worth Rs 200 crore for five years signed in 2008 with real estate company DLF ended post the 2012 season.

Breaking it down on a per year basis, the value of IPL's title rights has soared from Rs 40 crore annually (Rs 200 crore from 2008-2012) to Rs 79.2 crore (Rs 396 crore for 2013-2017) to Rs 439.8 crore (Rs 2199 crore for 2018-2022). Or, to put it another way, the value doubled after the first five years of IPL and shot up another five times in the following five years.Vivo's competitor and another major Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Oppo, bid Rs 1430 crore Rs 769 crore less than what Vivo brought to the table. Oppo had beaten Vivo in March this year when it went on to grab the jersey rights of the Indian cricket team men, women, seniors and juniors for Rs 1,079 crore, a four-fold increase over the previous deal with Star India. Interestingly, Vivo and Oppo are owned by the same Chinese company -BBK Electronics -which also owns the OnePlus mobile brand.

“We received an overwhelming response for the title sponsorship rights and we are glad to have Vivo back on board. It is a renewal of a fruitful relationship with the brand that will extend for the next five years,“ BCCI's acti n g s e c re t a r y A m i t ab h Choudhary said.

Chinese mobile companies, which dominate the phone industry across the world outside of giants Apple and Samsung's considerable clout, have clearly found cricket to be the ideal platform to showcase their wares. Market sources credit the `invasion' to the incomparable popularity of cricket in the country, one that can be equated with football in Europe and baseball in the Americas merely for the eyeballs it manages to generate.

Valuation of the IPL

2014-19

The valuation of the IPL (2014-19) and its franchises (2019)
From: K. Shriniwas Rao, March 4, 2020: The Times of India

See graphic:

The valuation of the IPL (2014-19) and its franchises (2019)

IPL jinxed for team owners?

The Times of India, Jul 17 2015

Some notable IPL team owners; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, July 17, 2015

K ShriniwasRao

A leading Mumbai businessman, once interested in buying an Indian Premier League franchise today wants nothing to do with the glamorous cricket league. He believes IPL is bringing bad luck to team owners. Dramatic as it may sound, a quick look at where the owners have landed up post their IPL buys tends to lend credence to this expression of superstition. The businessman was insistent: “Vijay Mallya, Subrata Roy , Venkattram Reddy , the Maran brothers, even Lalit Modi -just look where they are.Isn't it eerie?“ As facts go, the businessman isn't off the mark. Subrata Roy is in jail, Reddy was ar rested, Mallya is in trouble with the authorities, Maranowned Sun TV is having prob lems with the home ministry over security clearances, Lalit Modi is wanted by ED, and Sunanda Pushkar is dead. Even love has gone missing from Ness Wadia and Pre ity Zinta's lives. And N Srinivasan has lost his prized BCCI president's chair.

Wait, not just Srinivasan.His son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, a mere cricket enthusiast according to his father-inlaw, has been pulled up by the Supreme Court for talking to bookmakers and banned for life from cricket. Ditto with another part owner, Raj Kundra of Rajasthan Royals.

Those who have bucked the trend are movie star Shah Rukh Khan, India's biggest businessman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita, and the Delhi franchisee GMR.

Heck, the league itself is now in massive trouble. The judgment delivered by the SC-appointed Justice Lodha committee has reduced the IPL to just six teams of which, again, some are in serious financial trouble.

T Venkattram Reddy, the strapping boss of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, from Hyderabad, lost his team Deccan Chargers after cases of financial fraud with several banks began surfacing post 2011.

And the owners who replaced the team in Hyderabad Maran Brothers of Sun TV are also struggling. Once the eyes and ears of former DMK chief M Karunanidhi, the Chennai media barons are no longer politically protected.Apart from the cloud over their TV channels, they have had to sell their airline SpiceJet back to the original promoter.

Is this the reason why Parth Jindal of Bangalore-based JSW Group doesn't want to get into the IPL?

YEAR-WISE HISTORY

2013-14

IPL: 2013; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

IPL: 2014-2015; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

See graphics

IPL: 2013

IPL: 2014-2015

2016

The IPL auction of Feb 2016: The main buys; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, February 7, 2016

IPL, 2016, some facts; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, May 31, 2016

See graphics

The IPL auction of Feb 2016: The main buys

IPL, 2016, some facts

2017

Players retained and offloaded

Players retained and released, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, December 20, 2016

Players retained and released, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune supergiants; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, December 20, 2016

Players retained and released, Gujarat Lions and Kings Xi Punjab; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, December 20, 2016

Players retained and released, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, December 20, 2016

The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time India XI; The Times of India, April 20, 2017

The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI; The Times of India, April 20, 2017

See graphics,

Players retained and released, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore

Players retained and released, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune supergiants

Players retained and released, Gujarat Lions and Kings Xi Punjab

Players retained and released, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians

The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time India XI

The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI

The 2017 auctions

Manuja Veerappa, Feb 21 2017: The Times of India

Stokes Sets League Record As Highest-Paid Foreign Player; Mills, Woakes Too Cash In

England's cricketers dominated proceedings and extracted the maximum from franchises as aspirants went under the hammer in the 10th edition of the IPL auction. Leading the pack was allrounder Ben Stokes, 25, who became the most expensive overseas IPL player when he was snapped up by Pune for Rs. 14.50 crore. Stokes' teammate Tymal Mills was the next big gainer at Rs 12 crore. Starting off at a base price of Rs 50 lakh, the left-arm pacer saw aggressive bidding from Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB, looking to fill the void left by Mitchell Starc, splurged on the 24-year-old, a T20 specialist who is expected to be available through the league.

Another English player to come at a hefty price was all-rounder Chris Woakes, who went to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 4.2 crore while his T20 skipper Eoin Morgan (Rs 2 crore) found a buyer in Punjab.

Although the teams had 354 players to choose from, only 160 came into the main auction. While the dominance of the England players was expected, the eye-popping figures was surprising since most of them would be available only during the league stage.

The other big foreign buys were Kagiso Rabada (SA, Delhi Daredevils, Rs 5 cr), Trent Boult (NZ, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rs 5 cr), Pat Cummins (Aus, Delhi Daredevils, Rs 4.5 cr) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (Aus, KKR, Rs 3.5cr).

It was a windfall for domestic cricketers too, led by all-rounder Karn Sharma. The top pick in 2014 (Rs 3.8 crore) emerged the highest paid Indian this time with Mumbai Indians spending Rs 3.2 crore on him. He was followed by Tamil Nadu pacer T Natarajan (Rs 3 crore, Kings XI Punjab). Off the maximum 77 players, including 29 overseas who could be picked, 66 players found teams on the day, 27 of them being foreign cricketers. Pune looked like they had an expensive shopping list and spent Rs 17.2 crore off the Rs 17.5 crore in their kitty on buying nine cricketers.

In contrast, Gujarat Lions barely loosened their purse strings, spending a mere Rs 3.85 crore off the Rs 14.35 crore they had. But they still managed to take home 11 players with Jason Roy (England) at Rs 1 crore being their most expensive purchase.

In a first, two Afghans and one UAE player Chirag Suri will be handed their maiden IPL contracts. It is the only instance of Associate players being picked after Ryan ten Doeschate of Holland.

Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad welcomed the Afghans -Rashid Khan Arman and Mohammed Nabi. Arman, the 18-year-old leggie who made his international debut in 2015, went for a jaw-dropping Rs 4 crore (base price: 50 lakh) with the VVS Laxman-mentored SRH winning the bidding war with Mumbai Indians. All-rounder Nabi, on the other hand, had to settle for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. Suri, went to Gujarat for his base price of Rs 10 lakh.

Prior to Stokes going under the hammer, the proceedings at the auction resembled the lull before a storm. Even before auctioneer Richard Madley could finish announcing Stokes' name, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians raised the paddle.

While RCB pulled out at the Rs 4-crore mark, Delhi Daredevils jumped into the fray at Rs 4.20 crore and dropped out soon after. Mumbai, who came into the auction with a purse Rs. 11.555 crore, stretched themselves until Rs 10 crore.

The surprise omissions of Feb 2017

Feb 21 2017, The Times of India

NO TAKERS FOR TAHIR, ISHANT SHARMA

ISHANT SHARMA He is the highest-ranked bowler in ODIs and T20s, but South African spinner Imran Tahir failed to find buyers at Monday's auction. Tahir has 29 wickets in three IPL seasons since 2014 and had formed a lethal combination with Amit Mishra for Delhi Daredevils last season. Also missing the IPL bus were India pacer Ishant Sharma, Windies all-rounder

Jason Holder and Aussies Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon.

LIST OF ESTABLISHED NAMES WHICH WERE IGNORED:

Ishant Sharma (2cr), Jason Holder (1.5cr), Brad Haddin (1.5cr), Nathan Lyon (1.5cr), Jonny Bairstow (1.5cr), Kyle Abbott (1.5cr), Alex Hales (1cr), Marlon Samuels (1cr), Ross Taylor (50L), Irfan Pathan (50L), Brad Hogg (50L), Mitchell Santner (50L), Imran Tahir (50L), Ish Sodhi (30L).In brackets: Base price

The surprise omissions of Feb 2017/ 2

The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys

The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys; The Times of India

How the teams stack up after the Feb 2017 auction; The Times of India, Feb 21, 2017

Unknown Indian players who made it big at the Feb 2017 auctions; The Times of India, Feb 21, 2017

See graphics

The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys (1 and 2)

How the teams stack up after the Feb 2017 auction

Unknown Indian players who made it big at the Feb 2017 auctions

2017/ IPL- 10

The highlights of IPL- 10, 2017 ; The Times of India, May 22, 2017

See graphic. The highlights of IPL- 10, 2017

Did high player salaries result in success?

Manuja Veerappa, May 23, 2017: The Times of India

See graphic

Crorepatis, how they fared, IPL-10, 2017; The Times of India, May 23, 2017, Manuja Veerappa

IPL-10: Some Investments Went Down The Drain Although A Few Teams Used Their Big Buys Well

If Tymal Mills' IPL performance is measured by his bid price, then each of the five wickets he claimed for Royal Challengers Bangalore came with a mindboggling tag of Rs 2.40 crore! The England pacer, who at Rs 12 crore was the second costliest player at IPL-10, did not do anything extraordinary in the five appearances he made for his franchise.

A T20 specialist, Mills was among the 21 players who hit pay dirt after being picked for a crore or more at the auction held in February . While Ben Stokes (Rising Pune Supergiant) was the costliest at Rs 14.5 crore, others like M Ashwin (Delhi Daredevils), Dan Christian (Rising Pune Supergiant) and Pawan Negi (RCB) earned Rs 1 crore each at the auction.While a few justified their price tags, some disappointed, while the others returned home after being benched through the season.

Stokes and Christian were Pune's main picks at the auction and wise ones at that.Stokes was at the heart of Pune's campaign in the 12 matches he played before joining the England team. Electric and quick as a fielder, the all-rounder claimed 12 wickets at an average of 26.33 and scored 316 runs including an unbeaten century (103 n.o.). His presence in the Pune dressing room turned out to be invaluable for the team. Likewise, Christian with 11 wickets from 13 matches didn't do badly either.

Apart from Pune, the teams for whom investment in crorepati players turned out to be profitable were Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The pace trio of Trent Boult (Rs 5cr), Chris Woakes (Rs 4.2cr) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (Rs 3.5cr) was Kolkata's top buys of the season.While Boult wasn't in peak form, Woakes turned out to be the bowling trump card for Kolkata, picking up 17 wickets in 13 matches.Coulter-Nile too fared well with 15 wickets from eight outings including his three-for in the Eliminator against Hyderabad.

Afghan spinner Rashid Khan and pacer M Siraj didn't disappoint Hyderabad. A Rs 2-crore investment in veteran Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson proved to be a game-changer for Mumbai, who were also rewarded for their faith in Karn Sharma (Rs 3.2cr), who saw them through to the final with his tidy bowling. In contrast, Karnataka's spin bowler K Gowtham, who created a buzz after attracting a Rs 2-crore bid, didn't get to play even a game for Mumbai.

2018

The auction

See graphics:

Some facts about the teams and players in IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2)

Top buys for IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2)

Some facts about the teams and players in IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2)
From: Manuja Veerappa, January 2018: The Times of India

Top buys for IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2)
From: Manuja Veerappa, January 2018: The Times of India

The main deals/ 1

Manuja Veerappa, Stokes leads IPL crorepati club, January 28, 2018: The Times of India

Big names that went unsold, 2018
From: Manuja Veerappa, Stokes leads IPL crorepati club, January 28, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

Big names that went unsold, 2018

Englishman Rakes In Rs 12.5 Crore; Jackpot For Rahul & Pandey Too

Many Indian Premier League dreams took flight and a few were crushed as a virtual conveyor belt of 110 established stars and littleknown players went under the hammer on Saturday, the opening day of the two-day IPL mega auction.

Like last year, England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who went for Rs. 14.5 crore in 2017, hit paydirt as Rajasthan Royals snapped him up for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore, making him the most expensive buy of the day and most likely of the auction. A pending case against him made no difference to the Englishman’s market value as Chennai Super Kings made the first charge followed by Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders before Rajasthan Royals jumped into the bidding war at the Rs 12-crore mark.

Asked about the availability of Stokes, Ranjit Barthakur, chairman and CEO of Royals, said, “As far as we are concerned, the ECB has cleared him for auction; he’s legally available, therefore we’ve bid for him. He’s a very important part. We’re trying to build the team and an all-rounder is absolutely important.”

Stokes was followed by KL Rahul and Manish Pandey. The batting talents from Karnataka commanded a mind-boggling Rs 11 crore each which Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad paid with glee. Mitchell Starc (KKR, Rs 9.40cr), Rashid Khan (SRH; Rs 9cr) and R Ashwin (KXIP; Rs. 7.60cr) were the top bowlers to earn the mega bucks.

UNCAPPED PLAYERS CALL THE SHOTS

As many as 40 uncapped cricketers from India and abroad were paraded. Of them, 19 hit the jackpot, with the price soaring beyond the Rs 1-crore mark. Krunal Pandya (base price Rs 40 lakh) was the biggest gainer among them, taking home a cool Rs 8.8 cr from his home team Mumbai Indians who exercised the RTM privilege even as teams like Bangalore, Royals and Hyderabad engaged in a bidding war for the all-rounder. Even as RCB sealed the deal, Mumbai owners pulled out the RTM card.

Jofra Archer, the 22-year-old medium-pacer from West Indies was the other big gainer on the day as Royals snapped him up for Rs 7.20 crore. Another overseas uncapped crorepati was D’Arcy Short, the 27-year-old lefthanded batsman-spinner from Australia also going to Royals. Both players have had a golden run at the ongoing Australian Big Bash League.

U-19 stars Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 3.2 crore), Shubman Gill (Rs. 1.8 cr), Prithvi Shaw (Rs. 1.2 cr) too joined the elite crorepati club.

SOME STARS GET COLD SHOULDER

Franchises went mostly on current form and youth rather than reputation and experience. The price tags of some of the old warhorses is a case in point. Yuvraj Singh, who was the highest-paid player of 2014 and 2015, went for his base price of Rs 2 cr to Kings XI Punjab, while Chennai, who went for tried and tested players, were the sole bidders for Harbhajan Singh (Rs 2 cr). The franchises were not overenthusiastic when Gautam Gambhir’s name was called out and Delhi Daredevils welcomed him back for Rs 2.80 crore (base price Rs 2 crore).

GAYLE GOES UNSOLD

Meanwhile, explosive West Indies batsman Chris Gayle found no takers. Even RCB didn’t look interested.

Highlights

January 28, 2018: The Times of India

10 things to know about IPL auction, 2018
From: January 28, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

10 things to know about IPL auction, 2018

Players sold/ 1

Players sold, day 1, (IPL auction, 2018)
From: January 28, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

Players sold, day 1, (IPL auction, 2018)

The main deals/ 2

IPL auction (day 2, 2018), some brief facts
From: January 29, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

IPL auction (day 2, 2018), some brief facts

Most expensive uncapped players

January 28, 2018: The Times of India

MOST EXPENSIVE UNCAPPED PLAYERS

Krunal Pandya (Rs 8.8 cr, MI – RTM; Base price Rs 40 lakh), Jofra Archer (Rs 7.2 cr, RR; BP Rs 40 lakh), Ishan Kishan (Rs 6.2 cr, MI; BP: Rs 40 lakh), D’Arcy Short (Rs 4 cr, RR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Deepak Hooda (Rs 3.6 cr, SRH – RTM; BP: Rs 40 lakh), Siddharth Kaul (Rs 3.8 cr, SRH; BP: Rs 30 lakh), Nitish Rana (Rs 3.4 cr, KKR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 3.4 cr, RR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 3.2 cr, KKR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Vijay Shankar (Rs 3.2 cr, DD; BP: Rs 40 lakh), Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 3.2 cr, MI; BP: Rs 30 lakh), Ankit Rajpoot (Rs 3 cr, KXIP; BP:Rs 30 lakh), Navdeep Saini (Rs 3 cr, RCB; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Khaleel Ahmed (Rs 3 cr, SRH; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Rahul Tewatia (Rs 3 cr, DD; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Shubman Gill (Rs 1.8 cr, KKR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Prithvi Shaw (Rs 1.2 cr, DD; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Manan Vohra (Rs 1.1 cr, RCB; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Mayank Agarwal (Rs 1 cr, KXIP; BP: Rs 20 lakh).

Lesser known players selected in 2018

Manuja Veerappa, RR Break Bank For Pacer, Shell Out ₹11.5Cr To Make Him Costliest Indian, January 29, 2018: The Times of India

Auction in IPL- team, players bought and amount spent

About an hour-and-a-half into the second day of the IPL auction, the money left with the franchises started to decrease with capped pacers commanding a good price. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals — the teams with the biggest purse — had one pacer on their ‘mustbuy’ list and the latter had the last laugh.

It turned out to be a blockbuster Sunday for left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat as he went for a mind boggling ₹ 11.5 crore, making him the second most expensive player of this season behind IPL teammate Ben Stokes (₹12.5 crore).

Starting off at a base price of ₹ 1.5 crore, it was common knowledge that the 26-yearold will be among the hot picks given his T20 credentials which includes 24 wickets last season, Chennai Super Kings were the first to bid for him and Kings XI Punjab jumped in immediately. Rajasthan Royals, who were mute spectators until the bid crossed the ₹11-crore mark, upped the ante and made the winning bid for the Saurashtra bowler, who last season went to Rising Pune Supergiants for his base price of ₹30 lakh. As the auction drew to a close, 169 of the 581 players found a team with a total of ₹431.7 crore spent on them. This included 56 overseas players from across nine countries. Earlier, Kings XI Punjab fought it out with Chennai for Australian pacer Andrew Tye before bagging him for ₹7.2 crore. After an intense paddle war between Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, Karnataka spinner and a handy bat K Gowtham went to Royals for an impressive ₹6.2 crore.

AFGHANS HIT JACKPOT

Over the weekend, four players from Afghanistan generated a lot of buzz. After Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi returned to Sunrisers Hyderabad, 16-year-old Mujeeb Zadran and Zahir Khan went to Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively.

Mujeeb, who hails from Khost, a town 250km from Kabul, shot into the limelight last year when he picked up four wickets on debut against Ireland. The offie, often referred to as a mystery spinner, started with a base price of ₹50 lakh and Punjab and Delhi Daredevils immediately engaged in intense bidding. Delhi dropped out at ₹3.80 crore and Punjab sealed the deal at ₹4 crore. Mujeeb’s compatriot Zahir, went for ₹ 60 lakh from a base price of ₹20 lakh.

INVESTMENT IN FUTURE

With an eye on the future, the franchisees picked a total of seven India U-19 players, of whom four were bought on the second day. Speed gun Shivam Mavi went for ₹ 3 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders while big hitters Abhishek Sharma and Manjot Kalra were both snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for ₹55 lakh and ₹20 lakh respectively. Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy headed to the Mumbai Indians camp for ₹20 lakh.

A FIRST FOR NEPAL CRICKET

Nepal’s spin bowler Sandeep Lamichhane became the first player from Nepal to bag an IPL contract when Delhi got him on board for ₹20 lakh. The 17-year-old is highly rated by former Australian skipper Michael Clarke, who mentored him during a league in Hong Kong.

GAYLE GETS THIRD TIME LUCKY

West Indies big-hitter Chris Gayle, a marquee player who went unsold on the opening day and in the second session of the second day, emerged lucky the third time when Punjab successfully bid for him at his ₹ 2-crore base price. Likewise, Murali Vijay too was brought in the first round of the accelerated process by Chennai Super Kings at his base price (₹ 2 crore). Another current international Parthiv Patel (₹ 1.70 cr) headed to Royal Challengers Bangalore as did Mitchell Johnson (₹ 2 crore, KKR) and Tim Southee (₹1crore, RCB). Among the big names who failed to attract any bidders were Dale Steyn, Eoin Morgan, Martin Guptill, Joe Root, Nathan Lyon and Tymal Mills, who was the second most expensive player last season at ₹ 12 crore.

The youngest, the oldest, average age

Partha Bhaduri, April 6, 2018: The Times of India

Youngest and oldest players in each IPL team, April 2018
From: Partha Bhaduri, April 6, 2018: The Times of India

Average age of players in IPL 2018
From: Partha Bhaduri, April 6, 2018: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

IPL has also welcomed those simply hoping to revive sagging mid-career fortunes with a booster shot of cricketing glory

In 2016, the average age of the top-10 was 29.10. Three players were above 30, and one was below 25

Last season the average age of the top-10 grew again to 30.30, with seven batsmen above 30 in the list

Worried about age spots? An IPL treatment may be just what you need. We’re not talking about the intense pulsed light cosmetic procedure so common in the beauty industry, but the glowing cricketing equivalent, the Indian Premier League. Since its inception in the nascent days of T20 strategizing, the league has been a haven for those seeking to smoothen the wrinkles of a post-retirement life. IPL has also welcomed those simply hoping to revive sagging mid-career fortunes with a booster shot of cricketing glory. Even at the auctions, reputation has tended to precede both skills and promise in the expense stakes.

This time around, the trend seems to have been bucked at the auctions, either because of a large number of available cricketers in the twilight of their careers or a more deliberate move from franchises to bank on fresh legs.

Some like CSK, though, have remained firmly in favour of veterans. Their logic is a proven one: the T20 game is a short one, so those high on skill and experience but low on youthful energy won’t be caught out in a hurry. They can, instead, shave off the years when it comes to performance.

CSK seem to have done their homework on the batting front. For the past three IPL seasons, the average age of the top 10 batting performers has been rising slowly and steadily. In 2015, the average age of the top-10 was 28.50, with Chris Gayle being the oldest at 35 (at that time) and Ajinkya Rahane being the youngest then at 26, which means all 10 batsmen were above 25. Four were above 30.

In 2016, the average age of the top-10 grew to 29.10, although only three were above 30, and one was below 25 (Quinton de Kock, 23 at the time). This was because of a large concentration of cricketers in the 27-34 age group, when a batsmen is in his prime.

Last season the average age of the top-10 grew again to 30.30, with seven batsmen above 30 in the list. The oldest was Gautam Gambhir at 35, the youngest Rahul Tripathi at 26. This doesn’t mean, though, that seniority is a guarantee of success and the other franchises have erred in banking on youth. A similar peek into the top-10 bowlers reveals the average age has been shrinking, from 28.80 in 2015 to 26.60 in 2017.

Interestingly, the average age of the worst batting performers too has been rising steadily. The top-10 worst batting performers (taking into consideration batting positions No. 1 to 6 only, minimum 11 innings) had an average age of 30.4 last season, up from 28.7 in 2016. That means banking on senior players is often a gamble. So what’s an IPL team management to do when picking a side?

For one, picking younger bowlers is the way to go. The days of the Nehras, Hoggs and Tambes may be over. On the batting front, there is an important difference in the ‘best and ‘worst’ sets: the ‘worst of ’ batting lists tend to be thinner on performers of pedigree, meaning who have also excelled with the bat at international level in ODI or Test cricket over time.

The highest, fittest achievers are more adept at stretching peak performance well into their 30s. So if you’re picking seniors, picking the ones with the best international records may be the way to go.

This time at the auction, many franchises displayed a tendency to pick younger domestic performers, the likes of Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rahul Tripathi and Ishan Kishan, to name just three. That means they have spent less on some proven but ageing players. This may have saved owners money, but until it translates into winning performances, their furrowed brows may not smoothen soon.

IPL business model

IPL runs on a Central and Local pool of sponsorships for revenues. Broadcasters, tournament sponsors, title rights holders and bid monies form the central pool. Gate money, in-stadia advertising, franchise sponsors and merchandising make for the Local Pool. The Central Pool revenue is shared by all eight franchises on a percentage basis. The franchise has to fend for itself where Local Pool is concerned.

Future

The players from Royals and CSK franchise cannot be bought by or absorbed in any other franchise. Each team has a limit of 26 players and a fixed purse. For CSK and RR players to participate in IPL, the BCCI will have to float a tender for two fresh teams. There is no restriction if CSK and RR want to sell their franchises ahead of the coming season, after BCCI clearance. A full-fledged auction of all players is now scheduled after the 2016 edition of IPL.Both Royals and CSK have 26 players each and so do most other franchises. CSK has one-year contracts with most of its cricketers, who can go back into the auction pool but other franchises will have to off-load players to be able to buy them. With Kochi Tuskers winning their arbitration with BCCI, they're free to participate in IPL. Some players can be included in the Kochi franchise if they agree to play the tournament. However, one new franchise will still have to be auctioned. If Kochi Tuskers are unwilling to play, BCCI will have to auction two new franchises. IPL broadcast rights are up for a resale in 2017.

The finals (graphic)

The results of the IPL finals, 2018- CSK beat SRH; CSK’s performance in the finals, 2008-2018
From: May 28, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

The results of the IPL finals, 2018: CSK beat SRH
CSK’s performance in the finals, 2008-2018

The best batsmen, bowlers IPL 2018

Gaurav Gupta, Veteran Aussie Pulverises SRH With Blazing Century As Chennai Canter To Title, May 28, 2018: The Times of India

The best batsmen, bowlers of IPL 2018
From: Gaurav Gupta, Veteran Aussie Pulverises SRH With Blazing Century As Chennai Canter To Title, May 28, 2018: The Times of India

“Teams win games, but finals are won by individuals,” MS Dhoni had quipped on the eve of the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. His words proved prophetic as Shane Watson smashed the highest-ever score in an IPL final to seal the 2018 crown for CSK.

Watson pulverized the Sunrisers bowlers during his breathtaking, unbeaten 117 (57b, 11x4, 8x6) to turn the summit clash into a ridiculously one-sided affair at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night.

The Aussie’s blazing century, his second of the tournament, completed a fairytale return to the IPL for CSK, who clinched their third title after being banned for two years.

When he took 10 balls to get off the mark, little did one realize that Wason would explode in such a fashion that CSK would gallop home with as many as nine balls and eight wickets still intact. Chasing 179, the 37-year-old chose to be cautious at the start as he played out Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first over for a maiden.

After taking his time to get his eye in, Watson tore into one of the best attacks of the tournament with his devastating blade.

Sandep Sharma won’t forget the mauling that he received in the 13th over from Watson in a hurry. Ball after ball, the young medium-pacer ran in, trying the slower, knuckle delivery outside off stump, which normally ties up a batsman in knots in T20 cricket. However, on Sunday night, those deliveries landed deep into the stands behind long on, thrice in succession.

Between this six-hitting spree, Watson carted the youngster, who was consoled by his captain Kane Williamson, for two fours too, in an over which cost the Sunrisers 27 runs, and reduced the remaining part of the chase to a canter. To add to the Sunrisers’ woes, pacer Siddharth Kaul endured a horrible night as well, going for 43 for three overs, even as the experienced Watson negated the Rashid threat too.

Watson found an able ally in Suresh Raina (32), as the pair added 117 in 57 balls for the second wicket, after Faf du Plessis was dismissed early.

Earlier, Sunrisers picked up pace in the second half of their innings to post a competitive 178 for six.

Put in by Dhoni, the Sunrisers were initially pegged back by good spells from seamers Lungi Ngidi and Deepak Chahar. Ngidi even bowled a maiden in his first spell.

SRH suffered an initial setback when ‘keeper-bat Shreevats Goswami, who replaced an injured Wriddhiman Saha, was run out by Karn Sharma while going for a needless second run.

That blow meant skipper Kane Williamson was in the middle by the second over. Together with Shikhar Dhawan (26, 25b, 2x4, 1x6), Williamson (47, 36b, 5x4, 2x6) stablized the innings. After Dhawan was castled by Ravindra Jadeja, middle-order batsmen Shakib Al Hasan (23, Yusuf Pathan (45 not out) and Carlos Brathwaite (21) all chipped in as SRH collected 105 from the last 10 overs.

The trio’s effort helped SRH get over the setback of losing Williamson, who was stumped while giving the charge to a Karn delivery which spun away far outside the off stump. Though he couldn’t complete what would’ve been his ninth fifty in the 2018 IPL, Williamson joined a rare club of batsmen who’ve completed 700 runs in a season.

The best performers/ first 30 games

IPL 11 (2018)- The best performers of the first 30 games
From: Dhananjay Mahapatra, SC’s switch hit: Won’t force one-state, one-vote on BCCI, May 2, 2018: The Times of India

See graphic:

IPL 11 (2018)- The best performers of the first 30 games

November: Extension, retention and dropping of players

Saibal Bose, Unadkat dropped over ‘high auction-price pressure’, November 16, 2018: The Times of India

November 2018- The extension, retention and dropping of players by IPL franchises
From: Saibal Bose, Unadkat dropped over ‘high auction-price pressure’, November 16, 2018: The Times of India

Rajasthan Royals continue to surprise. After having snapped up medium-pacer Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 11.3 crore, the highest for an Indian in the IPL auctions held early this year, the Jaipur-based franchise dropped another bombshell by releasing him. The reason for the decision was apparently the player’s high auction price.

“When reviewing Jaydev’s contributions to the team, we felt there was too much pressure on him to deliver vis-a-vis his auction price and hence we thought it would be better to release him,” Royals head of cricket Zubin Bharucha told TOI.

Unadkat had failed to deliver to expectations in the last edition of the IPL, having taken just 11 wickets in 15 matches, with the economy rate was a shade below 10. Royals owner Manoj Badale had told TOI after the auctions that the idea was to plan their strategy around an Indian strike bowler and Unadkat fitted the bill.

“We want to go into the next auction with a free mind,” a Royals official told TOI. Jaipur is scheduled to host the auctions in the third week of December. Royals also released another much talked-about player, South Africa’s big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen. Australian batsman D’Arcy Short and veteran medium-pacer Ben Laughlin were also released.

DAREDEVILS RELEASE GAMBHIR

Delhi Daredevils expectedly released Gautam Gambhir, who stepped down as the team’s in the middle of the 2018 season after a poor run of form. Apart from Gambhir, Delhi also released Jason Roy, Junior Dala, Liam Plunkett, Mohammed Shami, Sayan Ghosh, Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Naman Ojha. The retained Delhi players include captain Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Amit Mishra and teen sensation Prithvi Shaw.

SUNRISERS RETAIN WARNER, LET GO OF BRATHWAITE, SAHA

Sunrisers Hyderabad retained David Warner — who missed the 2018 season following the ball-tampering scandal — while releasing nine players, including West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite.

SRH retained 17 players. England’s Alex Hales and all-rounder Chris Jordan too were dumped by franchise. Among Indians, the notable player to be released was Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. Earlier, Sunrisers had traded opener Shikhar Dhawan for Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nazeem and Vijay Shankar with Daredevils.

KINGS RELEASE AXAR, YUVI, FINCH

India’s 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh, left-arm spinner Axar Patel and Australia’s current limitedovers skipper Aaron Finch were among 11 players released by Kings XI Punjab. A pale shadow of his once explosive self, the 36-year-old Yuvraj managed just 65 runs at an abysmal average of 10.83 in eight games. With 134 runs in 10 games@16.75, the usually consistent Finch too didn’t find runs. Others who have been released are Ben Dwarshuis, former India pacers Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran, batsman Manoj Tiwary, Kashmir’s Manzoor Dar, Akshdeep Nath and Mayank Dagar. Kings XI finished seventh out of eight teams last year.

MUMBAI DROP CUMMINS, MUSTAFIZUR AND DUMINY

The Mumbai Indians on Thursday released South African batsman Jean-Paul Duminy, seamers Pat Cummins (Australia) and Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) and Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya, while retaining 18 players. Cummins was bought by MI for Rs 5.4 crore, but was ruled out before the start of the last IPL due to injury. There were reports that Cricket Australia (CA) pulled him out due to fear of a burnout or injury during the tournament.

Mustafizur Rahman was purchased for Rs 2.2 crore, but played only seven matches last season, taking as many wickets. The left-arm paceman was with Sunrisers Hyderabad previously. Duminy was bought for Rs 1 crore, but played just six matches, in which he managed only 36 runs. MI have also released six domestic players — Saurabh Tiwary, Pradeep Sangwan, Sharad Lumba, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, UP pacer Mohsin Khan and Kerala’s MD Nidheesh.

The Mumbai franchise’s list of 10 released players includes one capped, five uncapped and four international players.

2019

The main deals at the auction

Saibal Bose, December 19, 2018: The Times of India

Indian Premier League, 2019- The main deals at the auction
From: Saibal Bose, December 19, 2018: The Times of India

RR Keep Medium-Pacer At Lower Price, Kings XI Add Mystery To Their Attack

Rajasthan Royals continue to surprise. After releasing Jaydev Unadkat for being high priced, they bought him right back for Rs 8.40 crores, making him the joint costliest player at Tuesday’s auctions. Given that they had snapped up the left-arm medium-pacer for Rs 11.5 crores in February, Unadkat might be feeling robbed of Rs 3.1 crores.

There would be no mixed feelings for Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu, who matched Unadkat in money splurged on him. He hit the jackpot with Kings XI Punjab pocketing the 27-year old, who can bowl both leg-spin and offspin. It is said about Chakravarthy that he gets through his four overs before the rivals can unravel him. Staring at a base price of Rs 20 lakh, Chakravarthy went for 42 times that amount.

England’s Sam Curran was called in rather late, but some of the franchises seemed to have held back their purse for him. The all-rounder, whose reputation has soared since his performance against India, caused a bidding war among Kings Xi Punjab, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Punjab added him to their roster for Rs 7.20 crore, making him the costliest overseas player on Tuesday.

Even though bowlers were mainly in focus, South African batsman Colin Ingram was laughing his way to the bank with Delhi Capitals buying him for Rs 6.4 crore.

Mumbai youngster Shivam Dube quite expectedly generated interest after smashing five sixes in one over recently. Royal Challengers Bangalore added him to the kitty for Rs 5 crore, the same price that Mohit Sharma (CSK), Axar Patel (DC) and Carlos Braithwaite earned. The Bengaluru side’s management, in fact, spoke of Dube’s sixes while justifying his high price.

Kings XI threw up another stunner in outbidding Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians for 18-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Prabhsimran Singh (Rs 4.80 crore).

Among the players currently playing for Team India, Mohammad Shami was the top pick at Rs 4.80 crore. Kings XI Punjab, on a rebuilding spree, will most likely use him as their strike bowler.

Golden oldies like Brendon McCullum got the royal ignore while Yuvraj Singh had to be brought back, Mumbai Indians buying him at base price of Rs 1 crore. In fact, all the highestrated spinners were left unsold. Clearly, the franchises were looking for surprise elements like Chakravarthy. “He is unknown and that is an advantage,” KXIP CEO Satish Menon explained. “It’s also the World Cup year and we don’t know whom we might lose. Varun is more of a backup to Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Zadran.”

Teams in the final

CSK vs. MI reached the final of IPL, 2019
From: May 11, 2019: The Times of India

See graphic, 'CSK vs. MI reached the final of IPL, 2019'

MI win the title

JAC Gladson, May 13, 2019: The Times of India

The IPL final, 2019- Scoreboard
From: JAC Gladson, May 13, 2019: The Times of India

MI beat CSK in the final of IPL, 2019
From: May 13, 2019: The Times of India

See graphics:

The IPL final, 2019- Scoreboard

MI beat CSK in the final of IPL, 2019

A proven track record does no good if you’re not good on the day. Having made his point beautifully on the eve of the IPL 2019 final against Chennai Super Kings, Rohit Sharma and Co. were expected to not just merely turn up, but put in an impressive performance. And by converting their words into deeds, Mumbai Indians not only won their fourth title but their one-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday was the second such finish – they had defeated Pune Warriors by the same margin in 2017.

In Chennai, Mumbai had an opposition that’s weathered many a storm, but in not refusing to give up or give in, Mumbai are now in a league of their own with the skipper making it a penta – four titles with Mumbai and one with Deccan Chargers.

As is their wont, Chennai turned the contest into a gripping finale and Rahul Chahar nearly cost them the game when he reprieved Shane Watson with the opener going great guns on 55. The Aussie smashed two overs for 20 runs each off Lasith Malinga (16th) and Krunal Pandya (18th) to negate all the good work Rahul Chahar had done by restricting Chennai to 72 for two at the halfway stage — they eventually had to rest content with 148/7.

When Watson finally fell with two deliveries to go for 80 (59b, 8x4, 6x4), Chennai still needed four. His 51-run partnership with Dwayne Bravo was not enough to see CSK cross the line with Lasith Malinga sounding the death knell by denying two runs off the last ball.

The start was just as exciting as the finish after the Mumbai skipper had no hesitation to bat first. But if Mumbai’s 149 for eight was a start-stop affair, Chennai had not reckoned with Mumbai’s bowling arsenal that slowly tilted the scales in their favour by choking runs in the middle.

Faf du Plessis was the initial aggressor, while Shane Watson took his time, but with Suresh Raina running out of luck, Ambati Rayudu coming a cropper and skipper MS Dhoni run-out going for a second on an overthrow, Mumbai cleverly wrested the initiative through Chahar’s excellent returns of one for 14, which included 13 dot balls and just one boundary.

2020

Mumbai Indians win fifth title

Gaurav Gupta, November 11, 2020: The Times of India

Scoreboard, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, IPL- 2020
From: Gaurav Gupta, November 11, 2020: The Times of India

Mumbai Indians' five IPL titles, 2013-2020
From: Gaurav Gupta, November 11, 2020: The Times of India

Is he really injured? If this final was something of a ‘fitness test’ for Rohit Sharma, the star opener passed it with flying colours. Rested from the Indian team’s white-ball leg for the impending tour to Australia due to a rather mysterious hamstring injury which has caused big controversy, the Mumbaikar churned out a captain’s knock, cracking 68 (51b, 5x4, 4x6) to lead the Mumbai Indians to their fifth Indian Premier League title, as they downed the Delhi Capitals by five wickets in a onesided final in Dubai.

Unleashing his trademark front-foot pulls off the fast bowlers and smashing the spinners down the ground with characteristic ease, Rohit seemed intent on making a simple point he made when he returned from his injury to play for MI: ‘I’m fit and fine.’ He perished to a superb diving catch by substitute fielder Lalit Yadav at deep midwicket while trying to hook Anrich Nortje, but the job was done by then.

Towards the end, MI suffered a couple of more hiccups when Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya went out cheaply but Ishan Kishan (33 not out, 19b, 3x4, 1x6) continued his fabulous form to take MI home.

It was title No. 5 for ‘Captain Rohit,’ and his sixth as a player in the IPL. A decade back, MI had, for the only time, lost an IPL final while chasing against CSK, but this time, chasing just 157, they didn’t falter again, managing to defend the title successfully. It’s the first time that MI have won a crown in an even year. In what has been a magnificent campaign for them, MI came up with another dominant display in the final, beating the Capitals for the fourth time this season.

Earlier, skipper Shreyas Iyer (65 not out, 50b, 6x4, 2x6) and Rishabh Pant (56 not out, 38b, 4x4, 2x6) struck form, digging the Capitals out from a deep hole when they had slipped to 22 for three by just the fourth over, but MI still managed to restrict them to 156 for seven.

Showing commendable fightback, Iyer and Pant dug in to add 96 in 69 balls for the fourth wicket to bail their team out of crisis and breathe some life into the summit clash. However, pulling things back brilliantly, MI conceded merely 38 in the final five overs to gain the upper hand.

For the eight time in this IPL, Man of the Match Trent Boult provided a breakthrough in the first over for MI when he had Marcus Stoinis caught behind off the very first ball of the match, the first such instance in an IPL final. Boult struck again when Ajinkya Rahane was caught down the legside for just two in the third over.

The Capitals suffered their biggest blow when talismanic batsman Shikhar Dhawan (15) missed a slog sweep off off-spinner Jayant Yadav to be castled for just 15. It’s not often that you see Dhawan mess up that stroke, but then whatever MI have touched this time has turned into gold.

2021

The entire list

February 19, 2021: The Times of India

IPL 2021: Full squad, players list of all eight teams

NEW DELHI: Every year, the IPL Player Auction brings with it a lot of excitement and thrill. Franchisees splurge large sums of money to seal a deal, while some players fail to find a bidder.

In the IPL 2021 Player Auction, South African all-rounder Chris Morris made headlines by becoming IPL's most expensive buy of all time. Morris was fetched by Rajasthan Royals for a mammoth Rs. 16.25 crore. Meanwhile Krishnappa Gowtham became the highest uncapped Indian buy of all time. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs. 9.25 crore.

Here's the full squad list of all eight IPL teams after the squads for the 2021 edition were finalised:

DELHI CAPITALS

Shreyas Iyer (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings

MUMBAI INDIANS

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Anmolpreet Singh, Aditya Tare (wk), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Robin Uthappa, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, R. Sai Kishore, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, KM Asif, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Harisankar Reddy, K. Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishanth

PUNJAB KINGS

KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen , Saurabh Kumar

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Sanju Samson (c&wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe (wk), AB de Villiers (wk), Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat

The auction

Prasad.RS, February 19, 2021: The Times of India

How the IPL franchises stack up, 2021
From: Prasad.RS, February 19, 2021: The Times of India

IPL auction, history, as in February 2021- Morris becomes most expensive buy in IPL auction history
From: February 19, 2021: The Times of India

PAY DAY FOR ALLROUNDERS

RR Break Bank For Morris; Maxwell And Jamieson Fetch Big Money Too

Chennai:

With millions flying around the room, you wouldn’t expect social media to go into overdrive over a Rs 50 lakh or a Rs 20 lakh buy. But then, while Cheteshwar Pujara is an emotional favourite of many after his heroics in Test cricket, Arjun Tendulkar’s inclusion in the IPL auction list had become a point of debate. So, when Pujara finally got an IPL team — Chennai Super Kings — after seven years, the entire auction room applauded the gesture. “It was a mark of respect for all that Pujara has done for India,” a CSK official told TOI.

Arjun, on the other hand, was the last pick of the day as Zaheer Khan quietly raised the baton to have team mentor Sachin Tendulkar’s son in the set-up after two T20 game for Mumbai.

But before that, a few familiar stories played out. South African allrounder Chris Morris, with 34 runs and 11 wickets from nine games in IPL-13 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, broke all records to become the highest-paid player of the IPL. Rajasthan Royals, looking to rebuild again, paid 16.25 cr, edging out Punjab Kings in a bidding war. Morris’ price tag went past the Rs 16 cr record that was paid by RCB for Yuvraj Singh in 2015.

“We spoke to Morris before the auction and did a medical review to see if he can last the season. He’s in a bubble now in South Africa and about to play the domestic competition. He will play an important role for us in all phases of the game. He can win us the game with the bat as well and the ball,” said Jake Lush McCrum, RR’s COO. But then, that’s the reason RCB paid Rs 10 cr last time for the 33-year-old, but without much reward.

The auction lived up its tag of being allrounders’ ticket to big money. New Zealand’s Kylie Jamieson was bought for Rs 15 crore by RCB. He had scored a couple of 40s against India in Test matches in 2020 and gave Virat Kohli & Co a difficult time with his pace and bounce. Kohli must have taken a note of that and with Kiwi Mike Hesson as the coach, the decision was made to bring him in.

There was another usual suspect — Glenn Maxwell — who went for Rs 14.25 crore without hitting a single six in the last edition of the IPL in UAE for Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab). But on paper, he is one who can contribute handsomely both with the bat and ball, and that’s what led to a bidding war between CSK and RCB. CSK, quite uncharacteristically went till Rs 14 cr mark for the player, but then gave up as Kohli’s franchise looked for “impact players”.

CSK, desperate for spin-bowling allrounders, made two smart buys in the form of Moeen Ali (Rs 7 cr) and K Gowtham (Rs 9.25 cr). Gowtham became the highest-paid Indian at the auction. “Moeen can be an opener option too while Gowtham will fill two vacant spots — Kedar Jadhav and Harbhajan Singh,” a source said.

Another big-money buy was Australian pacer Jhye Richardson by Punjab Kings for Rs 14 cr. They needed a pace-bowling partner for Mohammad Shami after releasing Sheldon Cortrell following a hammering by Rahul Tewatia in one of the games last season. “We knew there would be competition for Richardson but we have the team we required,” team owner Preity Zinta, who also acquired England opener Dawid Mallan for Rs 1.5 cr, said. Punjab also got Tamil Nadu batsman Shahrukh Khan (Rs 5.4 cr), who was extremely impressive in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The KKR table, which attracted eyeballs due to the presence of SRK’s son Aryan and Juhi Chawla’s daughter Jhanvi, brought Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan back in the team for Rs 3.25 cr along with veteran offie Harbhajan Singh for his base price of Rs 2 cr. MI, on the other hand, had Nathan Coulter Nile and Jimmy Neeham back as their medium-pace back-up for Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. SRH picked up Kedar Jadhav for Rs 2 cr late in the day to add some experience to their middle-order.

Delhi Capitals, too, quietly brought Steve Smith into their line-up for a mere Rs 2.2 crore.

‘Pujara a back-up for Raina’

Pujara’s return to the IPL fold was celebrated by most but there were voices who felt the Test specialist would have been better off playing County instead of sitting on the reserve-bench of CSK for two months. But it’s understood that CSK had a plan in place to get Pujara in and it was not just about respect for the stalwart. “He is a back-up for Suresh Raina, who hasn’t played cricket in a while,” a source said.

The fact that Dhoni wants players who are used to taking pressure is another reason behind Pujara’s inclusion in the squad.

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-''' INDIA 2012 '''
-A REFERENCE ANNUAL
-'' Compiled by ''
-RESEARCH, REFERENCE AND TRAINING DIVISION
-PUBLICATIONS DIVISION
-MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
-GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
-[[Category:India|G]]
-[[Category:Defence |G]]
-[[Category: Name | Alphabet]]
-[[Category:Name|Alphabet]]
-=2011=
-==Gallantry Awards 2011 ==
-The following Gallantry Awards were announced on the Republic Day, 2011:
-Award Total Posthumous
-Gallantry Award
-''' Kirti Chakra ''' 5 1
-''' Shaurya Chakra '''  21 5
-Bar to ''' Sena Medal ''' / ''' Nao Sena Medal ''' / ''' Vayu Sena Medal ''' (Gallantry) 5 -
-''' Sena Medal/Nao Sena Medal/Vayu Sena ''' Medal (Gallantry) 140 13bb
-==Distinguished Awards==
-Param Vishisht Seva Medal 28 -
-Uttam Yudh Seva Medal 4 -
-Ati Vishisht Seva Medal 51 -
-Yudh Seva Medal 4 -
-Bar to Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) 2 -
-Sena Medal/Nao Sena Medal/Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to duty) 60 -
-Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal 2 -
-Vishisht Seva Medal 118 -
-The following Gallantry Awards were announced on the Independence Day, 2011 :
-Award Total Posthumous
-Shaurya Chakra 14 3
-Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry) 3 -
-Sena Medal (Gallantry) 114 7
-Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) 3 -
+[[Category:Cricket |I ]]
+[[Category:India |I ]]
+[[Category:Economy-Industry-Resources |I ]]
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop |I ]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary |I ]]
-Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) 3 -
+[[File: The results of IPL finals, 2008-2016.jpg| The results of IPL finals, 2008-2016; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=30_05_2016_021_023_013&type=P&artUrl=A-NEW-SUNRISE-IN-BENGALURU-30052016021023&eid=31808 ''The Times of India''], May 30, 2016|frame|500px]]
-=2018/ the awardees=
+[[File: delhi daredevils ipl record 2008 2015.jpg| Delhi Daredevils: IPL record, 2008-2015; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com//Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=DEVILS-GET-THE-BLUES-AGAIN-19052015022005 ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-==A==
-===Ashoka Chakra- IAF Garud commando Jyoti Prakash Nirala===
-[http://www.pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1517878 ''Press Information Bureau'']
-[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F25&entity=Ar01421&sk=BD98BF0A&mode=text  IAF commando who shot 3 ultras to get Ashoka Chakra posthumously, January 25, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
+=History=
+==Established in 2008==
+[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/ipl/news/How-IPL-changed-the-dynamics-of-Indian-cricket/articleshow/51738244.cms ''The Times of India''], April 8, 2016
-''HONOURS FOR HERO FOR MAKING ULTIMATE SACRIFICE & FOR CIVILIAN WHO BRAVED BULLETS TO SAVE MANY''
+Twenty20 cricket became phenomenally popular after India won the inaugural World Twenty20 title in 2007 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The victory not only rejuvenated the Indians fans, who were reeling under the disappointment of the 2007 ODI World Cup, but it also gave way to the conceptualization of the Indian Premier League that has since then not only cashed on the craze but has also changed the way cricket is played in India.
+Brain child of the then BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, the IPL was launched in 2008 with much fanfare as a competitive response to the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that was not recognized by the BCCI. Since then the IPL has not only come out as the clear victor but has given birth to various T20 leagues around the world and is the most-attended cricket league in the world. The ICL, with controversies of non-payment and fixing, folded up in 2009.
-IAF Garud commando Jyoti Prakash Nirala, who laid down his life while single-handedly shooting dead two to three terrorists during an encounter in Hajin area of Jammu and Kashmir last November, is all set to be posthumously awarded Ashoka Chakra, the country’s highest peacetime gallantry medal.
+Following the same format as that of English Premier League (EPL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), the IPL works on a franchise system that were put for auction, where the highest bidder won the rights to own the team, representing each city.
-Altogether six terrorists, including the nephew of Lashkar-e-Toiba chief and mastermind of the 26/11 terror strikes Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, were killed in the fierce gun-battle. The Republic Day gallantry awards list is yet to be officially announced but sources said Corporal Nirala(31), who hailed from Badladih village in Rohtas district of Bihar, is likely to become the first-ever IAF airman to get the highest medal for a ground combat operation.
+===2008: the beginnings===
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=NOT-QUITE-A-PERFECT-10-05042017023030  K ShriniwasRao, Apr 05 2017: The Times of India]
-Flying officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, a Gnat pilot, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his gallantry during the 1971 war, while Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma was conferred the Ashoka Chakra for becoming the first Indian cosmonaut in 1984.
+A Decade After It Set The Benchmark For T20 Leagues, Is The IPL Still Blazing The Trail When It Comes To Innovation?
-Nirala, who is survived by his widow Sushma, a minor daughter, ailing parents and three unmarried sisters, was part of the small Garud commando batch attached to the Army’s specialised counterinsurgency force, the Rashtriya Rifles, when he displayed the “pre-eminent act of valour” on November 18.
+Ten years ago, on a pleasant afternoon in 2008, when a five-star hotel in the south of Mumbai played host to an Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction, the first of its kind in any sport across the world, Sotheby's London auction house was yet to make a killing from a fascinating bronze sculpture -a Swiss masterpiece -waiting to go under the hammer. The winning bid for Walking Man I didn't quite proverbially match up to the cheque written (and the noise made) for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the scale of contemporary European art notwithstanding.
-The Rashtriya Rifles-Garud team, acting on an intelligence input, had surrounded a house at the Chandragarh village in Hajin area when they came under heavy fire from the terrorists holed up inside. “Nirala, armed with a light machine gun, displayed conspicuous bravery in confronting the terrorists and killing two to three of them despite himself being hit by bullets. All six terrorists were killed,” said an official.
+Much later, Richard Madley , the competent London-based auctioneer at IPL for a decade now, would admit -a bit in disbelief and a lot in awe -that sport, much defined like art as an expression of human creative skill, had taken a multi-dimensional leap of faith that astonishing afternoon. Cricket, until then a sport that had been looking to readdress itself in ways that could reassure coming generations of its viability, was given a new life by administrators with twisted hearts and professionals with incredible designs.
-Since last year, small units of Garud commandos are undergoing “battle-inoculation” and “live situational training” with the Rashtriya Rifles for counter-terrorism operations, as part of the decision taken after the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase in January, 2016. Three Garud commandos have laid down their lives in the operations till now.
+This was 2008. India hadn't yet woken up to the idea of leagues until then. By that time, NFL  the celebrated American football league  was already 88 years old and the NBA  the premier men's basketball tournament  62. It was pure innovation at play for IPL, working at multiple levels that helped redraft cricketing philosophies in ways that made the world sit up and take note. Never before had an investor in sport become a bigger talking point than the investment itself.
-===The entire list===
+===The results of the finals===
-[http://pibphoto.nic.in/documents/rlink/2018/jan/i201812501.htm  January 25, 2018: ''Press Information Bureau'']
+-16: See graphic.
-[http://www.pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1517875  January 25, 2018: ''Press Information Bureau'']
+===Impact on cricket in India===
+[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/ipl/news/How-IPL-changed-the-dynamics-of-Indian-cricket/articleshow/51738244.cms ''The Times of India''], April 8, 2016
+The first IPL auction took place on January 24, 2008 and the total base price for the auction was $400 million. The auction went on to fetch $723.59 million.
-''LIST OF PERSONNEL BEING CONFERRED GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED AWARDS ON THE OCCASION OF REPUBLIC DAY-2018''
-'''ASHOKA CHAKRA'''
+The Mumbai franchise (Mumbai Indians) owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was the most expensive franchise - fetching $111.9 million closely followed by Vijay Mallya's United Breweries which paid $111.6 million for the Bangalore franchise (Royal Challengers Bangalore). Media house Deccan Chronicle won the Hyderabad franchise (Deccan Chargers) for $107 million, while India Cements' Chennai franchise (Chennai Super Kings) cost $91 million.
-. 918203-R CORPORAL JYOTI PRAKASH NIRALA, INDIAN AIR FORCE (SECURITY) (POSTHUMOUS): INDIAN AIR FORCE
+Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla's Red Chillies Entertainment bought the Kolkata franchise (Kolkata Knight Riders) for $75.09, while Preity Zinta and her then beau Ness Wadia bought the Mohali team (Kings XI Punjab) for $76 million. Infrastructure development group GMR bagged the ownership of the Delhi team (Delhi Daredevils) for $84 million and the Emerging Media, consisting of its CEO Fraser Castellino, Manoj Badale and Lachlan Murdoch and other investors won the rights for the Jaipur franchise (Rajasthan Royals) for $67 million.
+The maiden edition of IPL had eight teams comprising a minimum of 16 players each. The tournament lasted for 44 days and involved 59 matches. And since then the league has had its share of controversies and seen many ups and down.
-'''PARAM VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL'''
+Two new leagues - Pune Warriors India (bought by the Sahara group for $370 million) and Kochi Tuskers Kerala (purchased by Rendezvous Sports World for $333.3 million) - were brought in before the fourth season of the league in 2011. But the Kochi Tuskers were soon terminated for breaching the BCCI's terms and conditions.
-.      IC-35479Y LT GEN BALWANT SINGH NEGI, UYSM, YSM, SM, VSM**, INF
-.      IC-35796A LT GEN KANWAL JEET SINGH GILL, AVSM, VSM, EME (RETD)
+champions Deccan Chargers were suspended in 2012 and then renamed Sunrisers Hyderabad under new owners Sun TV Network.
+But the biggest shock came in 2013 when the IPL was rocked by the fixing and betting scandal and many big names got embroiled in the controversy and it resulted in not only a few heads being rolled but entire teams were suspended. After two years of trials and tribulations, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two seasons.
-.      IC-35904Y LT GEN SARATH CHAND, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, INF
+Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai on charges of spot-fixing during IPL 6. Sreesanth and Chavan were subsequently banned for life by the BCCI's disciplinary committee.
-.      IC-35919F LT GEN AMARJEET SINGH, AVSM**, SM, INF
+Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two seasons. Dhoni and his longtime Chennai Super Kings teammate Suresh Raina were picked to play for opposing teams in the first-ever player draft of the IPL that was held in Mumbai on December 15, 2015.
-.      IC-35923K LT GEN JAGBIR SINGH CHEEMA, AVSM, VSM, INF (RETD)
+Rising Pune Supergiants, the Pune franchise bought by Kolkata-based businessman Sanjiv Goenka, expectedly picked Dhoni as the first player for Rs 12.5 crore and Intex Technologies owner Keshav Bansal, who invested in Gujarat Lions, picked Raina as the first choice followed by Ravindra Jadeja - the local Saurashtra boy who has grown up playing in Rajkot.
-.      IC-35960X LT GEN SHRAVAN KUMAR PATYAL, UYSM, SM, INF
+The two new franchises paid Rs 12.5 crore to the first player they picked at the draft, Rs 9.5 crore to the second, Rs 7.5 crore to the third, Rs 5.5 crore to the fourth and Rs 4 crore to the fifth. The two franchises had a limited purse of Rs 66 crore to form their squads for the season and a minimum spending of Rs 40 crore was mandatory between the draft and the auction in February.
+Australian all-rounder Shane Watson emerged as the biggest draw going for a whopping Rs 9.50 crore bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore but it was Pawan Negi who turned heads with a mind-boggling deal of Rs 8.50 crore by Delhi Daredevils to be the costliest Indian buy in the 2016 IPL players' auction.
-.      IC-35965W LT GEN RAJENDRA RAMRAO NIMBHORKAR, UYSM, AVSM, SM**, VSM, INF
+With corporate megabucks, Bollywood glamour and the frequent sound of wood thumping leather, the IPL has revolutionized the sport in the way it was played and cricketainment has been the new word to describe the evolution of a new chapter in history of cricket.
+The Indian Premier League has proved that cricket will never be the same again.
-.      IC-35987P LT GEN DEWAN RABINDRANATH SONI, VSM, ARMD
+===Records===
+-16, some 2017: See graphic.
+[[File: IPL records, 2008-16, some 2017.jpg|IPL records, 2008-16, some 2017; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=05_04_2017_001_062_003&type=P&artUrl=A-DECADE-OF-SHAKING-THE-WORLD-05042017001062&eid=31808 The Times of India], April 5, 2017|frame|500px]]
-.      IC-38311X LT GEN SATISH KUMAR DUA, UYSM, SM, VSM, INF
-.    IC-38654N LT GEN DEVRAJ ANBU, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, INF
+==2008-18/ Captains, stars who dropped themselves from the team==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F04%2F03&entity=Ar02202&sk=097E89E9&mode=text  April 3, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.    IC-38679A LT GEN ABHAY KRISHNA, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, INF
+[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-captains-who-stepped-down-mid-season/articleshow/63923068.cms  April 26, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.    IC-38722W LT GEN CHERISH MATHSON, SM, VSM, INF
-.    IC-39083M LT GEN SANJAY KUMAR JHA, AVSM, YSM, SM, INF
+'''HIGHLIGHTS'''
-.    IC-39098P LT GEN GURPRATAP SINGH DHILLON, AVSM, YSM, SM, INF
+In 2008, Mumbai Indians had to choose Shaun Pollock as their third captain of the season after stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh was suspended
-.    IC-39295X LT GEN PARMINDER JIT SINGH PANNU, AVSM, VSM, INF
+In 2012, Ricky Ponting stepped aside handing over the reigns to Rohit Sharma, who lead Mumbai Indian to the title
-.    IC-39818L LT GEN SURESH SHARMA, AVSM, ENGRS
+In 2015, Steve Smith announced at the toss that he has replaced Shane Watson as captain of Rajasthan Royals
-.    MR-03992M LT GEN ARUP KUMAR DAS, AMC
+''' VVS DROPS HIMSELF FOR GILLY (2008) '''
-.    IC-38691F MAJ GEN JATINDER SINGH BEDI, ARTY (RETD)
+Originally named as the Icon Player for Deccan Chargers before the first season of IPL, VVS Laxman gave up the status in a bid to allow his team spend more at the auctions. However, the genial Hyderabadi dropped himself from the team halfway through the season after the team’s poor run.
-.    IC-40700W MAJ GEN SANJAY THAPA, ARTY
+It allowed Adam Gilchrist to take over as the captain. ‘Gilly’ led the side in the next two seasons as well, and DC won the title under him in 2009.
+''' DHAWAN MAKES WAY FOR SAMMY (2014) '''
-'''KIRTI CHAKRA'''
-.      IC-66219P MAJ VIJAYANT BIST, 4 JAK LI
-'''UTTAM YUDH SEVA MEDAL'''
+In 2014, the Sunrisers Hyderabad announced that they’d ‘relieved’ Shikhar Dhawan of the burden of captaincy and appointed West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy as the new captain for the rest of the IPL season, hoping that the move will help Dhawan bat more freely. Sammy was included in the side and straight away thrusted into the captaincy role. Dhawan had managed only 215 runs in his first 10 outings as captain.
-.      IC-38753W LT GEN JASWINDER SINGH SANDHU, AVSM, VSM, INF, HQ 15 CORPS
-.      IC-39185H LT GEN AJAE KUMAR SHARMA, YSM, SM, INF, HQ 16 CORPS
+''' SANGA DROPS HIMSELF (2012) '''
-.      IC-39465W LT GEN AMARJEET SINGH BEDI, YSM, VSM, INF, HQ 4 CORPS
+While leading the Deccan Chargers in the 2012 IPL, Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara was enduring an ordinary run. He not only gave up the captaincy mid-stream but even dropped himself from the playing XI, making way for Australian big-hitter Cameron White to accommodate four overseas players in the XI. However, the move did not yield the desired results as Deccan Chargers could never get going in the tournament.
-.      IC-39492A LT GEN ANIL CHAUHAN, AVSM, SM, VSM, INF, HQ 3 CORPS
+''' PONTING MAKES WAY FOR ROHIT (2013) '''
-'''BAR TO ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL'''
+In 2013, Mumbai Indians began on shaky note when they lost three out of their first six matches. Skipper Ricky Ponting wasn’t in the best of form. The batting great decided to step down and handed over the reins to Rohit Sharma against Kolkata Knight Riders. MI eventually went on to clinch the title under Rohit, even as Ponting kept cheering the team from the sidelines.
-.      IC-35962H LT GEN LALIT KUMAR PANDEY, AVSM, SM, INF (RETD)
-.      IC-39070P LT GEN RANBIR SINGH, AVSM, YSM, SM, INF
+''' VIJAY REPLACES MILLER (2016) '''
+Struggling at the bottom of the points table in 2016, Kings XI Punjab made a bold move by removing David Miller, who had struggled with both the bat and leadership, as the team’s captain with Murali Vijay, even as they had 10 league matches remaining.
-'''ATI VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL'''
-.      IC-35201X LT GEN AJAI KUMAR SAHGAL, VSM, AAD (RETD)
-.      IC-35955M LT GEN AMRIK SINGH, SM, INF
+“David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad,” KXIP said in a statement. Till that stage, Kings XI had won just one match out of
+six. Till that point, Miller had only managed to score 76 runs while Vijay had amassed 143.
-.      IC-37398X LT GEN RAJAN RAVINDRAN, VSM, INF
+==An overview, 2008-19==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL/2020/04/18&entity=Ar01408&sk=EE95F159&mode=text  Partha Bhaduri, April 18, 2020: ''The Times of India'']
-.      IC-39073H LT GEN SANJEEV KUMAR SHRIVASTAVA, ENGRS
+There was a moment inside the sweltering cauldron of the Chinnaswamy Stadium all those years ago, on April 18, 2008 to be precise, when the still-nebulous Indian Premier League (IPL) acquired a wonderfully original and totally preposterous life of its own.
+Like most epoch-defining moments, it wasn’t exactly part of the script.
-.      IC-39130Y LT GEN RAJEEV CHOPRA, INF
+It was just two overs into the Royal Challengers Bangalore chase, but the hosts already seemed in disarray at 9/1. They had begun the innings looking bereft of hope, having been numbed into submission by Brendon McCullum’s unexpected and, at that time, unbelievable assault on their bowlers.
+The young, pacy Ashok Dinda steamed in to bowl for the Kolkata Knight Riders, and promptly got Virat Kohli to chop a short, wide one on to his stumps. The Chinnaswamy exploded.
-.      IC-39140H LT GEN PARMINDER SINGH JAGGI, AAD
+The dismissal should have been greeted with stunned silence. Instead, up in the aisles, a prancing KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan discovered to his amazement that the whole stadium was dancing along with him, roaring its approval. Dinda was fist pumping at the crowd, which would continue its carnival merriment for the rest of the game.
-.      IC-39283H LT GEN KANWAL KUMAR, ARMY AVN
+That night, Bengaluru didn’t seem to care that their own home team, packed to the gills with Test stalwarts, had unravelled before their eyes.
-.      IC-39380A LT GEN PODALI SHANKAR RAJESHWAR, VSM, ARTY
+A trend was set. This wasn’t about team loyalties anymore. It wasn’t about fan favourites either, but something totally alien to sporting leagues, a kind of collective joie de vivre that would propel the IPL to unprecedented heights and reshape the game’s dynamics, both within the field and beyond it.
+In that first season, crowds across the country’s giant stadiums revelled as the sheer audacity of it all hit home. Indian cricket was shedding its garb of tradition in full public glare, demolishing national-team boundaries and embracing an insatiable appetite for change.
-.      IC-39436F LT GEN SATINDER KUMAR SAINI, YSM, VSM, INF
+This was cricket’s version of hip-hop, a deep cultural revolution, not some transient, silly hit-and-giggle gimmick. The IPL wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan thing but a stable entity which would usher in democratic norms in a hierarchical cricketing order. It would redraw the bounds of the financially possible.
-.    IC-39624H LT GEN PRADEEP M BALI, VSM, INF
+Players would be auctioned off, permanently altering their non-monetary valuations in the eyes of coaches. Cricketing mercenaries would be born. And like most revolutions, the IPL would acquire a dark side.
-.    IC-39675W LT GEN VIJAY SINGH, SM, VSM, INF
+That first match was a dream launch. McCullum’s extraordinary 73-ball 158, then the highest T20 score, contained 13 sixes and 10 fours, including, at one point, a scoop over fine leg for six off Zaheer Khan. That innings was an early pointer to the format’s fundamental redrawing of balance between bat and ball.
-.    IC-39871W LT GEN SANTOSH KUMAR UPADHYA, SM, VSM, INF
+What was remarkable was that this wasn’t just a plonk-your-front-foot-andhit-through-the-line type of pitch. RCB’s batting order, comprising Rahul Dravid, Wasim Jaffer, Kohli and Jacques Kallis, were used to ‘proper’ cricket and ‘proper’ responses to given situations. They lost by 140 runs.
-.    IC-39898N LT GEN DEPINDER SINGH AHUJA, ENGRS
+That first IPL evening was also the first time the IPL made conventional batting seem uncool. In fact, the first IPL edition included all the pointers of things to come. Shane Warne used strong backroom support, tactical nous, swagger and positivity to scythe through opponents, laying the marker for modern T20’s constant craving for data analysis.
+Old warhorses like Adam Gilchrist and Sanath Jayasuriya showed that their withering frames were still suitable for belting boundaries. Since then, the IPL has been a league of veterans as much as youngsters, in spite of heightened fitness levels and fielders hunting in packs while flirting with boundary ropes.
-.    IC-40031H LT GEN SANJEEV KANAL, ARTY
+Innovative shots, broadened bats and quick fixes by hapless bowlers, the first IPL had it all. It also had something that wouldn’t be seen again: the presence of Pakistani cricketers. Virender Sehwag became the first to declare that IPL performances should count towards national selection. Brett Lee said, “If we look back in 10 years’ time, this tournament is going to be a massive landmark.”
-.    IC-40101W LT GEN RAJNI KANT JAGGA, VSM, ARMD
+By 2014, the IPL was ranked sixth in terms of eyeballs among global sporting leagues. By 2015, each IPL edition was contributing around $160 million to the GDP. By 2017, Star India would be buying the broadcast rights for $2.55 billion. By 2018, 1,112 players would register for the auction and the franchises would spend Rs 600 crore to build their teams. Just before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Duff and Phelps calculated that the IPL brand valuation had soared 13.5% to Rs 47,500 cr.
-.    IC-40235P LT GEN GOPAL R, SM, INF
+It seemed nothing, not even the 2013 match-fixing scandal which led to the banning of two teams, could make a dent in the IPL’s soaring graph. Nothing, that is, until the coronavirus.
+While it’s a given that sporting leagues are not immune to global economic shocks, sporting activity has been hit hardest by the social-distancing norms this pandemic necessitates.
-.    IC-40753P LT GEN MANMOHAN JEET SINGH KAHLON, ARMD
+How long will it be till we can flock without fear to stadiums like we used to? Will future IPL games be live streamed from empty stadiums, neutering the league of its emotive appeal? What will the IPL look like in 2022, when the sponsorship rights may be up for grabs again?
-.    V-000359F LT GEN AMOLOK JIT SINGH, VSM, RVC
+Worryingly, is the age of the megabuck sporting league over? According to some estimates, the IPL and its peripheral industries could see a hit of Rs 10,000 crore. There has been no pandemic insurance by either broadcaster or board. The revenue model involves selling properties, to broadcasters, sponsors, franchises... what happens when that model is rendered obsolete? What happens when there are no gate receipts, no corporate boxes?
-.    MR-04142P LT GEN SANJEEV CHOPRA, VSM, AMC
+The IPL has always been shaped by significant external events, like India’s 2007 World T20 win which made the concept viable. Now, too, it’s time to look towards other global sporting leagues, and see how they cope.
+To survive in a post-pandemic world, the IPL must innovate again.
-.    IC-40795F MAJ GEN SANJEEV NARAIN, INF
+==The greatest players, 2008-19==
-.    IC-40873N MAJ GEN RAMACHANDRA NAGRAJ, VSM, SIGS
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2020%2F04%2F18&entity=Ar01414&sk=5D2D28DA&mode=text  IPL’s Greatest XI, April 18, 2020: ''The Times of India'']
-.    IC-41072Y MAJ GEN RAJEEV SIROHI, VSM, INF
+IPL 2020 has been postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus. But what is the greatest XI from the 12 seasons played so far? TOI pores over the statistics and rummages through the memories to come up with the team to beat every other team…
-.    IC-41166W MAJ GEN SATINDER SINGH, AAD
+Shane Watson (RR, CSK): IPL’s Duracel man. Two-time MVP (2008, 2013). Biggame hunter (MoM, 2018 final). Pips David Warner, 3-time Orange Capper.
-.    IC-41183W MAJ GEN SURESH CHANDRA MOHANTY, GUARDS
+M 134, R 3575, SR 139.53, 6s 177, W 92, Ave 29.15, ER 7.93
-.    IC-41860H MAJ GEN SHANTANU DAYAL, SM, VSM, INF
+Chris Gayle (RCB, KXIP): Punisher. Pleasure-provider. Unstoppable sixmachine (326). Nobody comes close.
-.    IC-42004X MAJ GEN RANA PRATAP KALITA, SM, VSM, INF
+M 125, R 4484, Ave 41.13, SR 151.02, 6s 326
-.    IC-42389A MAJ GEN BAGGAVALLI SOMASHEKAR RAJU, YSM, INF
+Virat Kohli (RCB): IPL’s all-time highest scorer (5,412). Master of risk-free, highpressing cricket. Has smashed 191 sixes nonetheless.
+M 177, R 5412, Ave 37.84, SR 131.61, 6s 190
-.    IC-45050X MAJ GEN TEJBIR SINGH, SM, INF
+AB de Villiers (DD, RCB): Virtuoso crowd-pleaser who demonstrates the outer limits of innovation in T20. When he’s in the mood, even a yorker travels beyond the ropes.
-.    MR-05596P MAJ GEN MADHURI KANITKAR, VSM, AMC
+M 154, R 4395, Ave 39.95, SR 151.23, 6s 212
-.    IC-49650X BRIG GAMBHIR SINGH, GARH RIF, 63 MTN BDE
+MS Dhoni (CSK, RPS): Captain of the team. Ice cool as leader, and at the death. Barring Chacha Chowdhary, nobody calculates a target as precisely as him.
+M 190, R 4432, Ave 42.20, SR 137.85, 6s 209, Ct 94, St 38
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA'''
-.      IC-76619P MAJ AKHIL RAJ RV, GRENADIERS, 55 RR
-.      IC-76020F CAPT ROHIT SHUKLA, RAJPUT, 44 RR
+Andre Russell (DD, KKR): The enforcer. Possesses several gears; partial to the fifth. IPL’s highest strike rate: 186. Hustler with the ball. Two time MVP.
-.      SS-44764Y CAPT ABHINAV SHUKLA, 2 PARA (SF)
+M 64, R 1400, SR 186.42, 6s 120, W 55, Ave 27.96, ER 8.88
-.      TA-42759Y CAPT PRADEEP SHOURY ARYA, 106 INF BN (TA) PARA ATT WITH 4 PARA (SF)
+Dwayne Bravo (CSK): Master of deception, especially at death. Flies like a bird, prowls like a panther. Can win games with bat too.
-.      2691007Y HAV MUBARIK ALI, GRENADIERS, 55 RR
+M 134, R 1483, SR 128.28, 6s 61, W 147, Ave 24.61, ER 8.39
-.      5047762N HAV RABINDRA THAPA, 4/1 GR
+Sunil Narine (KKR): Inscrutable offbreak bowler. Among the meanest and most consistent. Also has the second highest batting strike rate in IPL history (168). Two-time MVP too.
-.      13625628L NK NARENDER SINGH, 9 PARA (SF)
+M 110, W 122, Ave 23.31, ER 6.67
-.      9109592Y L/NK BADHER HUSSAIN, 4 JAK LI
+Rashid Khan (SRH): IPL’s stingiest (ER 6.55). Match-winning leg-break bowler. Loves a challenge. Generally wins it.
-.      13630400Y PTR MANCHU, 12 PARA (SF)
+M 46, W 55, Ave 21.69, ER 6.55
+Lasith Malinga (MI): That slinging action. That mop of hair. That sound of stumps crashing. IPL’s highest wicket-taker ever. Key figure in MI .
-'''YUDH SEVA MEDAL'''
-.      IC-42336F MAJ GEN AJAI KUMAR SINGH, SM, VSM, INF, HQ CIF (K)
-.      IC-48579H BRIG CHARANJEET SINGH DEWGUN, 3 GR, HQ 104 INF BDE
+M 122, W 170, Ave 19.80, ER 7.14
-.      IC-48681L BRIG RAGHAVACHARI SANTHANA RAMAN, MAHAR, HQ 114 INF BDE
+Jasprit Bumrah (MI): New master of unplayable yorkers. Player of the Match in 2019 final. His best is yet to come.
-.      IC-49189M BRIG NAGENDRA SINGH, SM, PUNJAB, HQ 102 INF BDE
+M 77, W 82, Ave 26.60, ER 7.55
-.      IC-49500F BRIG ABHIJIT SURENDRA PENDHARKAR, ASSAM, HQ 93 INF BDE
+th man: Pollard (MI): All-purpose star
-.      IC-49588W BRIG MOHINDER PAL SINGH, SM, JAK RIF, HQ 190 MTN BDE
+Coach: Stephen Fleming (CSK): With MS Dhoni as captain, he built the IPL’s most consistent team .
-.      IC-50080Y BRIG YASHPAL SINGH AHLAWAT, SM, MADRAS, HQ 12 INF BDE
-.      IC-56428Y COL MOHINDER KUMAR SHAN, 9 JAK LI
+==The most memorable matches, 2008-19==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2020%2F04%2F18&entity=Ar01409&sk=DEFF1ADE&mode=text  —Compiled by Hindol Basu, April 18, 2020: ''The Times of India'']
-.      IC-60233L COL SHARANG PUN, 4/1 GR
+''' RAJASTHAN’S INCREDIBLE RUN '''
-.    IC-60253Y COL KAMAL NAURIYAL, GRENADIERS, 55 RR
+Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals, not the most fancied bunch at the beginning of the tournament, scripted a fairytale win to stretch the bounds of the possible in the very first IPL in 2008. Of course, the tone had been set in the very first game on April 18, with KKR’s Brendon McCullum smashing an incredible ton.
-'''BAR TO SENA MEDAL (GALLANTRY)'''
-.      IC-75660Y MAJ ANKIT HARJAI, SM, ARMD, 22 RR
-.      13623578M HAV RAJESH KUMAR, SM, 1 PARA (SF)
+''' SLAP AND TEARS '''
+That image from 2008 of temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth crying after being slapped by Harbhajan Singh, while his Kings XI Punjab teammate VRV Singh consoled him, will stay etched in our minds. Harbhajan was suspended for the season. Sreesanth confessed later he had been heckling his senior India teammate.
-'''SENA MEDAL (GALLANTRY)'''
+''' FOREIGN SHORES '''
-.      IC-56328N COL CHARANPREET SINGH, JAK RIF, 3 RR
-.      IC-63279Y LT COL PRAVEEN MADHAV KHANZODE, INT
+The second season coincided with the general elections and the government refused to commit security personnel. Showcasing its financial might, the IPL was moved out of India, to South Africa, by then commissioner Lalit Modi.
-.      IC-65402L LT COL ASHUTOSH SHARMA, GUARDS, 21 RR
+''' THE MONGOOSE BAT '''
-.      IC-64017P MAJ TEJAS B CANDADE, 2 PARA (SF)
+Australia’s Matthew Hayden unveiled his ‘Mongoose Bat’ in 2010, clobbering bowlers with what looked like a cross between a club and a baseball bat. The Mongoose had two distinguishing features: the handle was as long as the blade and the splice, which normal bats have in the blade, was built into the handle to guarantee a clean hitting surface. Needless to say, it was a hit.
-.      IC-66253P MAJ RAJAT VYAS, SIKH LI, 19 RR
+''' GAYLESTORM '''
-.      IC-67758X MAJ SAMEER BANSAL, 9 PARA (SF)
+‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle upped the ante in Bangalore against Pune Warriors on April 23, 2013, scoring an unbelievable 175 off just 66 balls, the highest T20 individual score. Gayle hit 13 boundaries and an incredible 17 maximums.
-.      IC-68144F MAJ NISHIT KASHYAP, PUNJAB, 22 RR
+''' THE DARK UNDERBELLY '''
-.      IC-70493K MAJ SANDEEP THAPA, ARTY, 52 RR
+A spot-fixing scandal rocked the league in 2013 when the Delhi police arrested three Rajasthan Royals cricketers, including Sreesanth. Soon after, Mumbai Police arrested film actor Vindu Dara Singh and CSK’s former team principal Gurunath Meiyappan for alleged betting, cheating and links with bookies. RR team co-owner Raj Kundra too was found to have placed bets on his team. The Supreme Court appointed a committee to probe the affair. Eventually, CSK and RR were banned for two years. The order, which came in 2015, meant the two teams missed the 2016 and 2017 IPL editions.
-.      IC-71397F MAJ AKSHAY CHAUBEY, ASC, 57 RR
+''' MUMBAI’S COMEBACK '''
-.    IC-71931N MAJ SUKHWINDER SINGH, ASC, 41 RR
+In 2015, Mumbai Indians lost five out of their first six games, but the team never stopped believing in its abilities. In a dream comeback, they went on to win nine of their remaining 10 matches to lift the title for the second time.
-.    IC-72229P MAJ KARTIKEYA MANRAL, KUMAON, 50 RR
+''' VIRAT, ABD RUN RIOT '''
-.    IC-72351L MAJ KULDEEP SINGH, RAJ RIF, 57 RR
+The 2016 IPL season will always be known for the amazing batsmanship by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. RCB needed to win four matches in a row to qualify for the playoffs. Kohli and De Villiers recorded a partnership of 229 runs (best in the IPL) against Gujarat Lions to set the ball rolling. Kohli smacked 109 off 55 balls, while De Villiers scored a unbeaten 129 off 52 balls. This was the first time two batsmen scored centuries in an IPL innings.
-.    IC-72759K MAJ SACHIN SINGH RAWAT, ASSAM, 42 RR
+''' KOHLI’S FINE FORM '''
-.    IC-73342W MAJ VIPUL NARAYAN, GRENADIERS, 55 RR
+Kohli almost single-handedly guided his team to the title clash in 2016. With 973 runs in 16 games at 81.08, he was the highest scorer. No other batsman has been able to score as many runs in a single season.
-.    IC-75017P MAJ SIDDHARTH KUMAR NAYAK, ARTY, 56 RR
+''' ‘MANKADING’ CONTROVERSY '''
-.    IC-75423P MAJ NITESH KUMAR, 12 PARA (SF)
+In 2019, Ravichandran Ashwin, captaining Kings XI Punjab, ran out Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler at the non-striker’s end without giving him any prior warning. That ‘Mankading’, as the dismissal is known, cleaved the cricketing world in two and sparked off heated debate on the spirit of the game. Though this is a legally permissible dismissal, the issue is yet to be satisfactorily resolved.
-.    IC-75775M MAJ K NAVEEN REDDY, ENGRS, 42 RR
+''' ‘CAPTAIN COOL’ LOSES HIS COOL '''
-.    IC-76440F MAJ TASOU PRAO, JAK RIF, 3 RR
+The usually unflappable MS Dhoni lost his composure in a match against RR last year, walking out on to the pitch after just having been dismissed, and lashing out at the umpires over a no-ball confusion. It just wasn’t cricket from one of the game’s great role models.
-.    IC-79137L MAJ NINGTHOUJAM MAKJAL SINGH, 4/1 GR
+''' BLOODIED BUT NOT OUT bb
-.    SS-43376P MAJ VARUN SINGH SLATHIA, SIKH LI, 2 RR
+Shane Watson’s knock for CSK in the 2019 IPL final against Mumbai Indians was one for the ages. He batted through the pain barrier and a bloodied left knee. His 59-ball 80 nearly saw CSK pull off a 150-run chase against MI. Watson needed six stitches after the game.
-.    SS-43634K MAJ VIKRAM SINGH, ASC, 42 RR
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Cricket|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Economy-Industry-Resources|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:India|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
-.    IC-75931L CAPT ABHISHEK KUMAR, MECH INF, 9 RR
+=Indian Premier League: The economics of =
+[[File:ipl.jpg|frame|500px]]
+[[File: crick salary.jpg|2016: Salary of retained players; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=02_01_2016_019_003_011&type=P&artUrl=VIRAT-TOP-OF-THE-IPL-PILE-02012016019003&eid=31808 ''The Times of India''] Jan 02 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-76434N CAPT NAVEEN SIGER, 4 PARA (SF)
+==Advertising revenues==
+Multi Screen Media (MSM), the official broadcaster of Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought on board a total of eight sponsors for the sixth edition of the Twenty20 tournament, which would help it rake in Rs 200 crore more over last year, after lowering its ad rates by 10-15%. Three more sponsors are expected to join over the next two weeks.
-.    IC-76546N CAPT DAVINDER PAL SINGH, MAHAR, 1 RR
+The presenting sponsors — PepsiCo and Vodafone — have shelled out around Rs 40-60 crore each while the associate sponsors, which include Tata Photon, Karbonn tablets, Godrej, Samsung Mobiles, Panasonic and Usha Appliances, have paid around Rs 25-30 crore each for being seen on the channel during the tournament.
-.    IC-77276W CAPT SAHIL BHARDWAJ, SIKH LI, 19 RR
+MSM is looking to earn Rs 950 crore as advertising revenue from IPL-6, up 27% from Rs 750 crore it garnered last year, a senior executive from the company told TOI.
-.    IC-77396P CAPT DUSHYANT SINGH, ARMD, 55 RR
+This will be the first time that the IPL will have three feeds — the regular one on SET max, while Sony Six will broadcast a Hindi feed along with an HD one.
-.    IC-77896M CAPT MANISH KUMAR SINGH, 2 PARA (SF)
+Some of the other sponsors likely to be signed on soon for the tournament, which starts on April 3, are Cadbury and Havells — both have had a long-term association with the IPL. This year, MSM has two presenting sponsors and is expected to close nine associate sponsors, up from only five which it managed last year. The channel has also struck large deals with Coca-Cola, Parle Agro, Marico, Berger Paints and Airtel, besides others, filling 70% of its inventory.
-.    IC-78776A CAPT DIVYANSHU AHUJA, ENGRS, 50 RR
+“Last year, we had increased the ad rates but could not sell the entire inventory. Our strategy to reduce rates has worked very well and we have seen the interest levels go up. Advertisers from all sectors are on board this year, signaling a revival in sentiments,” said Rohit Gupta, president, MSM.
-.    IC-80335H CAPT DUOMAI SHOZII PAOSHO, 7 MADRAS
+During 2012, a 10-second ad spot during the IPL had a price tag of Rs 4.5-5.5 lakh, making it a highly premium property. However, reduction in rates has made it far more affordable, said media planners who buy TV airtime for advertisers. “If TV ratings had to fall, it had to fall last year. Now they have stabilized. It is definitely value for money at this rate and with lesser risk,” said Ajit Varghese, MD (South Asia), Maxus, which has bought airtime for telecom major Vodafone.
-.    SS-44861W CAPT KAUSTUBH PRAKASHKUMAR RANE, GARH RIF, 36 RR
+The IPL reached 170 million eyeballs and clocked an average rating of around 3.27 last year, according to TAM Media Research. MSM’s Gupta said he is expecting the reach to further grow this season. “If there is a big product launch or a new ad campaign, this is a large platform which is a must for any brand. It is a property which is targeted at male audiences, so it works well for brands which directly communicate with this audience group,” said Basabdutta Chowdhury, CEO of Platinum Media, a division of media buying group Madison. This year, soft drink giants PepsiCo is the new title sponsor of the IPL, having paid Rs 396 crore for the next five seasons.
-.    SS-47582W CAPT PRANAY PANWAR, 4 SIKH
-.    SS-47917H CAPT PRANSHU MAURYA, 7/11 GR
-.    SS-48221K CAPT PRABHAKAR DEV SINGH, 14 DOGRA
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Cricket|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Economy-Industry-Resources|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:India|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Pages with broken file links|INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
-.    JC-431089M SUB SHASHI KUMAR, 19 PUNJAB (POSTHUMOUS)
+=Coaches in IPL=
+==As in Nov==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F11%2F29&entity=Ar02700&sk=512B7DDB&mode=text  Asheem Mukerji, Nov 30, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
-.    JC-460076X SUB RAMESH KUMAR, MARATHA LI, 56 RR
+''' COACHES IN IPL '''
-.    JC-471297K SUB JAIVIR SINGH, RAJ RIF, 57 RR
+Rajasthan Royals I Indian coaches: 1 (Batting coach: Amol Muzumdar); Foreign coaches: 2 (Head coach: Andrew McDonald-Aus, Fast bowling coach: Steffan Jones-Eng)
-.    JC-612987A SUB MANISH GURUNG, 4 GR
+Kings XI Punjab I Indian coaches: 1 (Head coach: Anil Kumble); Foreign coaches: 2 (Fast bowling coach: Courtney Walsh-WI, Batting coach: Geaorge Bailey-Aus)
-.    JC-413919P NB SUB ASHOK KUMAR, 4 PARA (SF)
+Delhi Capitals I Indian coaches: 0; Foreign coaches: 3 (Head Coach: Ricky Ponting-Aus, Fast bowling coach: James Hopes-Aus, Spin coach: Samuel Badree-WI)
-.    JC-414162K NB SUB SUNIL KUMAR, 9 PARA (SF)
+Kolkata Knight Riders I Indian coaches: 0 Foreign coaches: 3 (Head coach: Brendon McCullum-NZ, Chief mentor: David Hussey-Aus, Bowling coach: Kyle Mills-NZ)
-.    2493054L HAV BALWANT SINGH, 9 PARA (SF)
+Mumbai Indians I Indian Coaches: 1 (Robin Singh); Foreign coaches: 2 (Head coach: Mahela Jayawardene-SL, Bowling coach: Shane Bond-NZ)
-.    2494144Y HAV VIJAY KUMAR, 9 PARA (SF)
+Chennai Super Kings I Indian coaches: 0 Foreign coaches: 3 (Head coach: Stephen Fleming-NZ, Batting coach: Mike Hussey-Aus, Bowling Consultant: Eric Simmons-SA)
-.    2791742K HAV KARAMBHALKAR RAJARAM TUKARAM, MARATHA LI, 41 RR
+Sunrisers Hyderabad I Indian coaches: 0; Foreign coaches: 1 (Head coach: Trevor Bayliss-Eng)
+Royal Challengers Bangalore I Indian coaches: 0; Foreign coaches: 2 (Head coach: Simon Katich-Aus, Bowling coach: Adam Griffith-Aus)
-.    4079429M HAV AVTAR SINGH, GARH RIF, 36 RR
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Cricket|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Economy-Industry-Resources|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:India|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Pages with broken file links|INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
-.    4272189F HAV PRABHU SAHAY TIRKEY, 21 BIHAR (POSTHUMOUS)
+=Controversies: 2008-16=
+[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/ipl/Controversies-that-have-rocked-IPL/listshow/51820860.cms ''The Times of India''], December 3, 2016
+[[File: Controversies associated with Indian Premier Leage, 2008-2016.jpg| Controversies associated with Indian Premier Leage, 2008-2016; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=14_04_2016_029_017_002&type=P&artUrl=INDIAN-PROBLEM-LEAGUE-14042016029017&eid=31808 ''The Times of India''], April 14, 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    4275229H HAV SHEW SHANKAR CHAUDHARI, 2 BIHAR
+.
+: Maharashtra asked to shift IPL matches
-.    4366524Y HAV RONGSEN SASHI, 2 PARA (SF)
-.    4569674K HAV VINOD KUMAR, MAHAR, 1 RR
+Bombay High Court asks IPL to shift 13 matches out of Maharashtra due to severe drought in the state.
-.    13622774A HAV LAXMAN SINGH, 3 PARA (SF)
+.
+: CSK and RR suspended
-.    13757526X HAV JALIL AHMED, JAK LI, 52 RR
-.    15561142H HAV BHAG SINGH, ENGRS, 2 RR
+Supreme Court suspends CSK and RR for two years. Two new teams, Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions, are introduced. Rajasthan Royals’ leggie Pravin Tambe alleges that his Mumbai teammate Hiken Shah had approached him to fix a few games.
-.    2802845L NK JADHAV SANDIP SARJERAO, 15 MARATHA LI (POSTHUMOUS)
+.
+: IPL 7 conducted under Gavaskar’s supervision
-.    2895878A NK VIKASH KUMAR, RAJ RIF, 57 RR
-.    3002654L NK BALATTAR SINGH, 21 RAJPUT
+The first half of IPL-7 is moved out of India to the UAE due to polls, and by SC orders the event is conducted under ex-captain Sunil Gavaskar. The shifting of the final from Mumbai to Bangalore too causes a furore.
-.    4482042H NK JALOUR SINGH, SIKH LI, 19 RR
+.
+: Betting allegations hit CSK & RR
-.    5049253N NK BADRI BAHADUR GURUNG, 1 GR
-.    9423262K NK DEEPAK KUMAR, 7/11 GR
+Delhi Police arrest three Rajasthan Royals players — S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — on charges of spot-fixing. The scandal overwhelms the IPL when Mumbai police haul up BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings’ team principal Gurunath Meiyappan on charges of alleged betting. The Rajasthan Royals face further trouble when Delhi Police level same charges against co-owner and Raj Kundra. Following intervention by the Supreme Court, Srinivasan is eventually eased out after a long-drawn battle.
-.    13625783M NK TILAK RAJ, 9 PARA (SF)
+.
+: Shah Rukh Khan banned from Wankhede Stadium premises
-.    13764688L NK GAGANDEEP SINGH, JAK LI, 52 RR
-.    13767229X NK PURSHOTAM KUMAR, 9 PARA (SF)
+A sting operation exposes cricketers willing to bowl no-balls or indulge in under-hand dealings with franchises, leading the BCCI to ban Mohnish Mishra, Shalabh Srivastava, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali. I t leads to an uproar in Parliament to stop IPL. A heated on-field argument between opposition players Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir also makes for ugly viewing. Then, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is banned from the Wankhede Stadium premises after a scuffle with a Mumbai Cricket Association official. To top it all, RCB cricketer Luke Pomersbach is arrested on charges of molesting an American and assaulting her boyfriend.
-.    13769548H NK VIRENDER SINGH, 2 PARA (SF)
+.
+: Sunanda Pushkar’s ‘sweat equity’ in Kochi
-.    15140481F NK BALAUR SINGH, ARTY, 56 RR
-.    2698814W L/NK NARESH KUMAR, GREN, 55 RR
+Just before IPL 3, the governing council brings in two new teams, Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers, only for Modi to tweet about shady shareholding patterns and reveal Sunanda Pushkar’s ‘sweat equity’ in the Kochi set-up. The controversy forces Pushkar’s husband, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, to resign. Modi too is forced out.
-.    2698879K L/NK BABU LAL, GREN, 55 RR
+.
+: IPL 2 shifted to South Africa
-.    13626753F L/NK RAJPATI SHAHNI, 2 PARA (SF)
-.    14934920W L/NK AJAY SINGH PARIHAR, MECH INF, 42 RR
+Then home minister P Chidambaram refuses to provide security for IPL 2 because of general elections, leading then-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to shift the entire tournament to South Africa.
-.    15621397P L/NK VIPIN KUMAR, GUARDS, 50 RR
+.
+: Harbhajan slaps Sreesanth.
-.    2498961P SEP JASPAL SINGH, PUNJAB, 53 RR
-.    2502154A SEP SUKHRAJ SINGH, PUNJAB, 22 RR
+Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh slaps India teammate S Sreesanth in Mohali and is banned, creating a furore.
-.    2813048A SEP KHARADE SANDIP KAILAS, MARATHA LI, 41 RR
+==Spot fixing case: 2013==
+[[File: Some details, Players involved in IPL-spot fixing.jpg|Some details: Players involved in IPL-spot fixing; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=26_07_2015_001_043_012&type=P&artUrl=Watertight-fixing-case-full-of-holes-Sree-Chandila-26072015001043&eid=31808 ''The Times of India''], July 25, 2015|frame|500px]]
-.    2813791P SEP MANE SAVAN BALKU, 15 MARATHA LI (POSTHUMOUS)
+[[File: A timeline, spot-fixing in IPL, May 2013-July 2015.jpg| A timeline: Spot-fixing in IPL, May 2013-July 2015; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=26_07_2015_021_037_002&type=P&artUrl=SPOT-FIXING-TIMELINE-HOW-THE-CASE-AGAINST-RR-26072015021037&eid=31808 ''The Times of India''], July 25, 2015|frame|500px]]
-.    4376797P SEP NZAN LOTHA, ASSAM, 42 RR
+''See the graphics''
-.    4377488Y SEP MILI KAMBU, ASSAM, 42 RR
+Players involved in IPL-spot fixing
-.    4379692W SEP RIKPE TAIPODIA, ASSAM, 42 RR
+and
-.    4487592P SEP MANINDER SINGH, SIKH LI, 19 RR
+A timeline: Spot-fixing in IPL, May 2013-July 2015
+==Dhoni on the suspension of Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIM%2F2019%2F03%2F22&entity=Ar01800&sk=98D30305&mode=text    ‘WHAT WAS THE PLAYERS’ MISTAKE?’| But Captain Dhoni Admits CSK Erred During 2013 Fixing Saga| March 2019 | PTI]
-.    4491739X SEP JASPREET SINGH, 8 SIKH LI (POSTHUMOUS)
-.    4584321F SEP GAWAI SUMEDH WAMAN, MAHAR, 1 RR (POSTHUMOUS)
+In July 2015, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the cash-rich league for two years for betting activities by their key officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra during the 2013 season.
-.    4585664K SEP ILAYARAJA P, MAHAR, 1 RR (POSTHUMOUS)
+While Dhoni agreed that then BCCI chief N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Meiyappan was part of the team setup, he said, in what capacity, is open to debate.
-.    9107784X SEP MOHD RAFIQ, JAK LI, 19 RR
+“Initially, when Guru’s name came up, (we knew) he was part of the team, all said and done. But in what capacity, that is debatable. Was he the owner, the team principal, the motivator... what exactly was he?
-.    14705398M SEP THANGCHONLEN, ASSAM, 42 RR
+“I don’t know if anyone from the franchise introduced Guru to us as the owner... we all knew him as the son-in-law.”
-.    19002288P SEP AVTAR SINGH, 21 SIKH
+What mistake did the players make, asked Mahendra Singh Dhoni, opening up on a phase of life made “most difficult and depressing” by the 2013 IPL fixing scandal. Dhoni broke his silence in a docudrama aptly titled Roar of the Lion, which focuses on the scandal that rocked Indian cricket and the ensuing fairy tale comeback by Chennai Super Kings following a two-year suspension for its management’s role in spot-fixing.
-.    15233495N GNR BANWARI LAL, ARTY, 56 RR
+Dhoni, who led the CSK to three IPL titles, said they knew a “harsh punishment” was on the cards.
-.    15234255H GNR SITA RAM, ARTY, 57 RR
+“We did deserve the punishment but the only thing is the quantum of the punishment. Finally we got to know that CSK will be banned for two years. There was a mixed feeling that time. Because you take a lot of things personally and, as a captain, question what did the team do wrong,” Dhoni stated.
-.    4088047K RFN YOGHESH SINGH, GARH RIF, 36 RR
+“Yes there was mistake from our side (the franchise) but were the players involved in this? What mistake did we, as players, do to go through all of that?”
-.    4094703W RFN SACHIN SINGH RANA, GARH RIF, 36 RR
+Recalling the torrid time when insinuations and allegations flew thick and fast, Dhoni said fixing a match requires the involvement of the majority of players.
-.    9112935P RFN JAWEED AHMAD SHEIKH, JAK LI, 36 RR
+“They started showcasing in the media or social media as if the team was involved. Is it possible (in cricket)? Yes it is possible, anyone can do spot-fixing. Umpires can do that, batsmen can, bowlers can... but match-fixing needs the involvement of the majority of the players.”
-.    15503957Y SWR NARESH KUMAR SINGH, ARMD, 55 RR
+=The IPL numbers=
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=LIKE-A-ROW-BEFORE-A-BIG-FILMS-RELEASE-15072015034007 ''The Times of India'']
-'''BAR TO SENA MEDAL (DISTINGUISHED)'''
+==IPL broadcast rights==
-.      IC-45009F MAJ GEN SUKHDEEP SANGWAN, SM, INF
-.      IC-58605M COL DHEERAJ KOTWAL, SM, 10 SIKH LI
+In 2008, the consortium of India's Sony Television network and the Singaporebased World Sports Group (WSG) had secured the rights of the IPL for ten years at a cost of more than $1 billion.As part of the deal, the consortium would pay the BCCI $908 million for the telecast rights and $108 million for the promotion of the tournament. However, in a reworked deal next year, BCCI signed a new deal with MSMPL (Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd) and World Sport Group (WSG) for Rs 8,200 crore with 80% of the amount to come from MSMPL. Later WSG exited the deal after a one-time payoff.
+==IPL title rights==
-'''SENA MEDAL (DISTINGUISHED)'''
+DLF had bought the title rights of the IPL for five years in 2008 for Rs 200 crore.In 2013, Pepsi bid for the rights for the next five years and won it at Rs 396 crore.
+===2017-22: Vivo pays Rs 2,199 crore===
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Value-of-IPL-title-rights-surges-455-as-28062017001045  K ShriniwasRao, Value of IPL title rights surges 455% as Vivo shells out Rs 2,200cr, June 28, 2017: The Times of India]
-.      IC-39106H MAJ GEN PANKAJ ARORA, ARTY (RETD)
+[[File: Title Rights, Indian Premier League.jpg|Title Rights, Indian Premier League; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=28_06_2017_029_045_007&type=P&artUrl=Renewal-of-a-fruitful-IPL-relationship-28062017029045&eid=31808 June 28, 2017: The Times of India]|frame|500px]]
-.      IC-39457X MAJ GEN MOHANDEEP SINGH GHURA, VSM, INF
+''See graphic, '' 'Title Rights, Indian Premier League'
-.      IC-39696M MAJ GEN JACOB THARAKAN CHACKO, AOC
-.      IC-40804X MAJ GEN DIG VIJAY SETIA, VSM, ENGRS
-.      IC-45022L MAJ GEN KANWAR MANMEET SINGH, ARTY
+Cricket administration may be going through turbulent times in India, but the game's fortunes continue to prosper in a manner that defies imagination .
-.      IC-42857P BRIG GURVIR SINGH KAHLON, PUNJAB, HQ IDS
+Chinese mobile-maker Vivo retained the Indian Premier League (IPL) title rights for the next five years at Rs 2,199 crore, a 455% increase over the previous contract. Vivo had taken over the rights from PepsiCo from the 2015 season onwards after the latter expressed its inability to continue with its Rs 396 crore deal for five years. Pepsi had bought the title rights from the 2013 season onwards after IPL's first-ever title rights deal worth Rs 200 crore for five years  signed in 2008 with real estate company DLF  ended post the 2012 season.
-.      IC-42919K BRIG MANOJ KUMAR, ARTY, DY MS-11
+Breaking it down on a per year basis, the value of IPL's title rights has soared from Rs 40 crore annually (Rs 200 crore from 2008-2012) to Rs 79.2 crore (Rs 396 crore for 2013-2017)  to Rs 439.8 crore (Rs 2199 crore for 2018-2022). Or, to put it another way, the value doubled after the first five years of IPL and shot up another five times in the following five years.Vivo's competitor and another major Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Oppo, bid Rs 1430 crore  Rs 769 crore less than what Vivo brought to the table. Oppo had beaten Vivo in March this year when it went on to grab the jersey rights of the Indian cricket team  men, women, seniors and juniors  for Rs 1,079 crore, a four-fold increase over the previous deal with Star India. Interestingly, Vivo and Oppo are owned by the same Chinese company -BBK Electronics -which also owns the OnePlus mobile brand.
-.      IC-43407K BRIG SURENDER PAVAMANI, ARTY, DDG EM(A)
+“We received an overwhelming response for the title sponsorship rights and we are glad to have Vivo back on board. It is a renewal of a fruitful relationship with the brand that will extend for the next five years,“ BCCI's acti n g s e c re t a r y A m i t ab h Choudhary said.
-.      IC-44057P BRIG RAJIV MANKOTIA, VSM, 4 GR, DDG (PROC)
+Chinese mobile companies, which dominate the phone industry across the world outside of giants Apple and Samsung's considerable clout, have clearly found cricket to be the ideal platform to showcase their wares. Market sources credit the `invasion' to the incomparable popularity of cricket in the country, one that can be equated with football in Europe and baseball in the Americas merely for the eyeballs it manages to generate.
-.    IC-45524N BRIG VISHWANATHAN VENKAT SUBRAMANIAM, MECH INF, MIRC
+=Valuation of the IPL=
+==2014-19==
+[[File: The valuation of the IPL (2014-19) and its franchises (2019).jpg|The valuation of the IPL (2014-19) and its franchises (2019) <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2020%2F03%2F04&entity=Ar02700&sk=B0C28AE8&mode=text  K. Shriniwas Rao, March 4, 2020: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-45577M BRIG GAUTAM GANGULY, VSM, GRENADIERS, HQ CTF, NSG
+'''See graphic''':
-.    IC-47023M BRIG NAVNEET SINGH SARNA, ARTY, CDM, SCUNDERABAD
+'' The valuation of the IPL (2014-19) and its franchises (2019) ''
-.    IC-48518L BRIG MOHIT MALHOTRA, ARMD, 16 (I) ARMD BDE
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Cricket|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Economy-Industry-Resources|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:India|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
-.    IC-48970A BRIG VIKRAM NAGPAL, GRENADIERS, HQ 5 SECT RR
+=IPL jinxed for team owners?=
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-star-crossed-Team-owners-hit-by-bad-17072015001032 ''The Times of India''], Jul 17 2015
+[[File: Some notable IPL team owners.jpg|Some notable IPL team owners; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-star-crossed-Team-owners-hit-by-bad-17072015001032 ''The Times of India''], July 17, 2015|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-49151H BRIG RAJA CHAKRABORTY, BIHAR, HQ 1 SECT RR
+K ShriniwasRao
-.    IC-49472A BRIG SATISH DAHIYA, SIKH LI, 112 MTN BDE
+A leading Mumbai businessman, once interested in buying an Indian Premier League franchise today wants nothing to do with the glamorous cricket league. He believes IPL is bringing bad luck to team owners.
+Dramatic as it may sound, a quick look at where the owners have landed up post their IPL buys tends to lend credence to this expression of superstition. The businessman was insistent: “Vijay Mallya, Subrata Roy , Venkattram Reddy , the Maran brothers, even Lalit Modi -just look where they are.Isn't it eerie?“ As facts go, the businessman isn't off the mark. Subrata Roy is in jail, Reddy was ar rested, Mallya is in trouble with the authorities, Maranowned Sun TV is having prob lems with the home ministry over security clearances, Lalit Modi is wanted by ED, and Sunanda Pushkar is dead. Even love has gone missing from Ness Wadia and Pre ity Zinta's lives. And N Srinivasan has lost his prized BCCI president's chair.
-.    IC-49480Y BRIG ROHIT CHOUDHARY, MARATHA LI, 9 (I) MTN BDE GP
+Wait, not just Srinivasan.His son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, a mere cricket enthusiast according to his father-inlaw, has been pulled up by the Supreme Court for talking to bookmakers and banned for life from cricket. Ditto with another part owner, Raj Kundra of Rajasthan Royals.
-.    IC-49525N BRIG RAJESH SRIVASTAVA, ARTY, HQ 25 ARTY BDE
+Those who have bucked the trend are movie star Shah Rukh Khan, India's biggest businessman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita, and the Delhi franchisee GMR.
-.    MR-05971P BRIG HARISHANKER AGRAWAL, VSM, AMC, MH KIRKEE
+Heck, the league itself is now in massive trouble. The judgment delivered by the SC-appointed Justice Lodha committee has reduced the IPL to just six teams of which, again, some are in serious financial trouble.
-.    IC-50785L COL ANIL JOHN ALFRED PEREIRA, SIGS
+T Venkattram Reddy, the strapping boss of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, from Hyderabad, lost his team Deccan Chargers after cases of financial fraud with several banks began surfacing post 2011.
-.    IC-51018Y COL UMAID SINGH RATHORE, VSM, ARMY AVN, 204 ARMY AVN SQD (UH)
+And the owners who replaced the team in Hyderabad  Maran Brothers of Sun TV  are also struggling. Once the eyes and ears of former DMK chief M Karunanidhi, the Chennai media barons are no longer politically protected.Apart from the cloud over their TV channels, they have had to sell their airline SpiceJet back to the original promoter.
-.    IC-53119L COL RAKESH NAIR, 9 GR
+Is this the reason why Parth Jindal of Bangalore-based JSW Group doesn't want to get into the IPL?
-.    IC-53168N COL PRASHANT GANPATRAO SANKPAL, GARH RIF,
+=YEAR-WISE HISTORY=
+=2013-14=
+[[File: IPL 2013.jpg|IPL: 2013; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=15_07_2015_034_007_009&type=P&artUrl=LIKE-A-ROW-BEFORE-A-BIG-FILMS-RELEASE-15072015034007&eid=31808 ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+[[File: IPL 2014-2015.jpg|IPL: 2014-2015; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=15_07_2015_034_007_009&type=P&artUrl=LIKE-A-ROW-BEFORE-A-BIG-FILMS-RELEASE-15072015034007&eid=31808 ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+See graphics
-.    IC-54647F COL MELEVEETIL RAJIV MENON, MADRAS
+IPL: 2013
-.    IC-56330L COL VIKRAM JEET SINGH, KUMAON, 13 RR
+IPL: 2014-2015
-.    IC-56441H COL IMON MUKHERJEE, MAHAR, 1 RR
+=2016=
+[[File: The IPL auction of Feb 2016, the main buys.jpg| The IPL auction of Feb 2016: The main buys; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=07_02_2016_001_045_002&type=P&artUrl=Watson-top-buy-but-rookie-Indians-story-of-07022016001045&eid=31808 ''The Times of India''], February 7, 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-57836W COL BEERINDER SINGH SANDHU, 10 MADRAS
+[[File: IPL, 2016, some factual information.jpg|IPL, 2016, some facts; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-2016-FAST-FACTS-31052016027058 ''The Times of India''], May 31, 2016|frame|500px]]
+See graphics
-.    IC-58679F COL SUVRAT CHATURVEDI, INT, HQ NC
+The IPL auction of Feb 2016: The main buys
-.    IC-59088M COL VIJAY KUMAR SHARMA, 3/8 GR
+IPL, 2016, some facts
-.    IC-59674P COL ASHOK PALIATH ACHUTHAN, SIKH LI, 2 RR
+=2017=
+==Players retained and offloaded==
+[[File: Players retained and released, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.jpg|Players retained and released, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-2017-BIG-NAMES-OFFLOADED-BY-TEAMS-20122016024012 ''The Times of India''], December 20, 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-60092F COL DHARMENDRA YADAV, SIKH LI, 19 RR
+[[File: Players retained and released, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune supergiants.jpg|Players retained and released, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune supergiants; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-2017-BIG-NAMES-OFFLOADED-BY-TEAMS-20122016024012 ''The Times of India''], December 20, 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-64826P COL HARMANDEEP SINGH GREWAL, 21 PUNJAB
+[[File: Players retained and released, Gujarat Lions and Kings Xi Punjab.jpg|Players retained and released, Gujarat Lions and Kings Xi Punjab; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-2017-BIG-NAMES-OFFLOADED-BY-TEAMS-20122016024012 ''The Times of India''], December 20, 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-64859A COL VISHAL SINGH, JAK RIF, 22 RR
+[[File: Players retained and released, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians.jpg|Players retained and released, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=IPL-2017-BIG-NAMES-OFFLOADED-BY-TEAMS-20122016024012 ''The Times of India''], December 20, 2016|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-56511W LT COL NAVEEN GAHLAWAT, INT
+[[File: The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time India XI.jpg|The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time India XI; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=20_04_2017_022_015_001&type=P&artUrl=LEAGUE-OF-CHAMPIONS-THE-GREATEST-IPL-TEAMS-OF-20042017022015&eid=31808 The Times of India], April 20, 2017 |frame|500px]]
-.    IC-61399Y LT COL ANIL MEHTA, ARMY AVN, 204 ARMY AVN SQD (UH)
+[[File: The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI.jpg|The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=20_04_2017_022_015_001&type=P&artUrl=LEAGUE-OF-CHAMPIONS-THE-GREATEST-IPL-TEAMS-OF-20042017022015&eid=31808 The Times of India], April 20, 2017 |frame|500px]]
-.    IC-62033N LT COL INDERJOT SINGH MANN, ARMD
+[[File: The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI 2.jpg|The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=20_04_2017_022_015_001&type=P&artUrl=LEAGUE-OF-CHAMPIONS-THE-GREATEST-IPL-TEAMS-OF-20042017022015&eid=31808 The Times of India], April 20, 2017|frame|500px]]
+See graphics,
-.    IC-63479P LT COL RAJENDER SINGH JAMWAL, ARMY AVN, 30(I) R&O FLT
+Players retained and released, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore
-.    IC-70447P MAJ PRAVEEN KUMAR SINGH, ARMY AVN, 23 (I) R&O FLT
+Players retained and released, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune supergiants
+Players retained and released, Gujarat Lions and Kings Xi Punjab
-'''BAR TO VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL'''
-.      IC-48507Y BRIG DUNDAYYA MALLIKARJUN PURVIMATH, VSM, ENGRS, CE (P) HIMANK
-'''VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL'''
+Players retained and released, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians
-.      IC-37882K MAJ GEN DALIP SINGH, AOC
-.      IC-39229P MAJ GEN DEVESH AGNIHOTRI, MECH INF
+The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time India XI
-.      IC-39472M MAJ GEN JITENDRA KUMAR MARWAL, INF
+The greatest IPL players of all time (till April 2017), All-time international players XI
-.      IC-39812K MAJ GEN GIRISH KUMAR, ENGRS
+==The 2017 auctions==
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=TOP-10-BUYS-IPL-USHERS-IN-ENGLISH-SUMMER-21022017025030  Manuja Veerappa, Feb 21 2017: The Times of India]
-.      IC-40757L MAJ GEN VIKAL SAHNI, SM, INF
-.      IC-41196N MAJ GEN SUDHAKAR JEE, INF
+'''Stokes Sets League Record As Highest-Paid Foreign Player; Mills, Woakes Too Cash In'''
-.      IC-41509F MAJ GEN KANWAL JEET SINGH DHILLON, YSM, INF
+England's cricketers dominated proceedings and extracted the maximum from franchises as aspirants went under the hammer in the 10th edition of the IPL auction. Leading the pack was allrounder Ben Stokes, 25, who became the most expensive overseas IPL player when he was snapped up by Pune for Rs. 14.50 crore.
+Stokes' teammate Tymal Mills was the next big gainer at Rs 12 crore. Starting off at a base price of Rs 50 lakh, the left-arm pacer saw aggressive bidding from Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB, looking to fill the void left by Mitchell Starc, splurged on the 24-year-old, a T20 specialist who is expected to be available through the league.
-.      IC-41702N MAJ GEN ML MOHAN BABU, ARTY
+Another English player to come at a hefty price was all-rounder Chris Woakes, who went to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 4.2 crore while his T20 skipper Eoin Morgan (Rs 2 crore) found a buyer in Punjab.
-.      IC-42079P MAJ GEN JITENDRA KUMAR SHUKLA, AAD
+Although the teams had 354 players to choose from, only 160 came into the main auction. While the dominance of the England players was expected, the eye-popping figures was surprising since most of them would be available only during the league stage.
-.    IC-43630N MAJ GEN SURESH MENON, SIGS
+The other big foreign buys were Kagiso Rabada (SA, Delhi Daredevils, Rs 5 cr), Trent Boult (NZ, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rs 5 cr), Pat Cummins (Aus, Delhi Daredevils, Rs 4.5 cr) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (Aus, KKR, Rs 3.5cr).
-.    IC-45193X MAJ GEN ATUL KAUSHIK, SM, INF
+It was a windfall for domestic cricketers too, led by all-rounder Karn Sharma. The top pick in 2014 (Rs 3.8 crore) emerged the highest paid Indian this time with Mumbai Indians spending Rs 3.2 crore on him. He was followed by Tamil Nadu pacer T Natarajan (Rs 3 crore, Kings XI Punjab). Off the maximum 77 players, including 29 overseas who could be picked, 66 players found teams on the day, 27 of them being foreign cricketers. Pune looked like they had an expensive shopping list and spent Rs 17.2 crore off the Rs 17.5 crore in their kitty on buying nine cricketers.
-.    MR-04569Y MAJ GEN GAUTAM GANGULY, AMC
+In contrast, Gujarat Lions barely loosened their purse strings, spending a mere Rs 3.85 crore off the Rs 14.35 crore they had. But they still managed to take home 11 players with Jason Roy (England) at Rs 1 crore being their most expensive purchase.
-.    IC-40710A BRIG SURENDRA MEHTA, 11 GR
+In a first, two Afghans and one UAE player Chirag Suri will be handed their maiden IPL contracts. It is the only instance of Associate players being picked after Ryan ten Doeschate of Holland.
-.    IC-41927W BRIG SHIVENDER SINGH, YSM, GARH RIF
+Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad welcomed the Afghans -Rashid Khan Arman and Mohammed Nabi. Arman, the 18-year-old leggie who made his international debut in 2015, went for a jaw-dropping Rs 4 crore (base price: 50 lakh) with the VVS Laxman-mentored SRH winning the bidding war with Mumbai Indians. All-rounder Nabi, on the other hand, had to settle for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. Suri, went to Gujarat for his base price of Rs 10 lakh.
-.    IC-42270W BRIG KAMAL KUMAR REPSWAL, SM, ENGRS
+Prior to Stokes going under the hammer, the proceedings at the auction resembled the lull before a storm. Even before auctioneer Richard Madley could finish announcing Stokes' name, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians raised the paddle.
-.    IC-42283N BRIG GURJEET SINGH KAMBO, ENGRS
+While RCB pulled out at the Rs 4-crore mark, Delhi Daredevils jumped into the fray at Rs 4.20 crore and dropped out soon after. Mumbai, who came into the auction with a purse Rs. 11.555 crore, stretched themselves until Rs 10 crore.
-.    IC-42782H BRIG DEEPAK OBHRAI, ARTY
+===The surprise omissions of Feb 2017===
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=SURPRISE-MISSES-21022017025042  Feb 21 2017, The Times of India]
-.    IC-42794X BRIG MV SUCHINDRA KUMAR, YSM, ASSAM
-.    IC-43262K BRIG ARUN ANANTHANARAYAN, YSM, SM, GREN
+'''NO TAKERS FOR TAHIR, ISHANT SHARMA'''
-.    IC-43395A BRIG MANOJ KUMAR BINDAL, AAD
+ISHANT SHARMA He is the highest-ranked bowler in ODIs and T20s, but South African spinner Imran Tahir failed to find buyers at Monday's auction. Tahir has 29 wickets in three IPL seasons since 2014 and had formed a lethal combination with Amit Mishra for Delhi Daredevils last season. Also missing the IPL bus were India pacer Ishant Sharma, Windies all-rounder
-.    IC-43843F BRIG ADISH YADAV, RAJ RIF
+Jason Holder and Aussies Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon.
-.    IC-43998W BRIG VIJAY RAMCHANDRA DESHMUKH, EME
+'''LIST OF ESTABLISHED NAMES WHICH WERE IGNORED:'''
-.    IC-44055K BRIG VINOD MOHAN CHANDRAN, ARMD
+Ishant Sharma (2cr), Jason Holder (1.5cr), Brad Haddin (1.5cr), Nathan Lyon (1.5cr), Jonny Bairstow (1.5cr), Kyle Abbott (1.5cr), Alex Hales (1cr), Marlon Samuels (1cr), Ross Taylor (50L), Irfan Pathan (50L), Brad Hogg (50L), Mitchell Santner (50L), Imran Tahir (50L), Ish Sodhi (30L).In brackets: Base price
-.    IC-44082N BRIG ANEEL RAJ SINGH KAHLON, ARMD
+===The surprise omissions of Feb 2017/ 2===
+The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys
-.    IC-44474F BRIG RITU RAJ RAINA, SM, DOGRA
+[[File: The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys 1.jpg|The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=21_02_2017_025_030_010&type=P&artUrl=TOP-10-BUYS-IPL-USHERS-IN-ENGLISH-SUMMER-21022017025030&eid=31808 The Times of India]|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-45642F BRIG VENKATESHA REDDY G A, SC, JAT
+[[File: The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys 2.jpg|The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=21_02_2017_025_030_010&type=P&artUrl=TOP-10-BUYS-IPL-USHERS-IN-ENGLISH-SUMMER-21022017025030&eid=31808 The Times of India]|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-47002W BRIG JAGJIT SINGH MANGAT, ARMD
-.    IC-47372W BRIG RAJ RISHI SHARMA, ARTY
+[[File: How the teams stack up after the Feb 2017 auction.jpg| How the teams stack up after the Feb 2017 auction; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=NUMBER-CRUNCHING-21022017025050 The Times of India], Feb 21, 2017|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-47657H BRIG MICHAEL AJ FERNANDEZ, ENGRS
+[[File: Unknown Indian players who made it big at the Feb 2017 auctions.jpg|Unknown Indian players who made it big at the Feb 2017 auctions; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=UNKNOWN-INDIAN-HITS-21022017025053 The Times of India], Feb 21, 2017|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-47994X BRIG J KAMESWARA RAO, ENGRS
+'''See graphics'''
-.    IC-48044P BRIG SUKRITI SINGH DAHIYA, ENGRS
+The IPL auction of Feb 2017, The main buys (1 and 2)
-.    IC-48539F BRIG ANIMISH SURESH RANADE, PARA
+How the teams stack up after the Feb 2017 auction
-.    IC-48551H BRIG KISHAN PAL SINGH SIROHI, GUARDS
+Unknown Indian players who made it big at the Feb 2017 auctions
-.    IC-48955N BRIG VIKRAM VARMA, ARMD
+==2017/ IPL- 10==
+[[File: The highlights of IPL- 10, 2017.jpg| The highlights of IPL- 10, 2017 ; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Gallery.aspx?id=22_05_2017_001_059_002&type=P&artUrl=MUMBAI-PULL-OFF-SUPER-WIN-LIFT-IPL-TROPHY-22052017001059&eid=31808 The Times of India], May 22, 2017|frame|500px]]
+''' See graphic. ''' The highlights of IPL- 10, 2017
+===Did high player salaries result in success?===
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=MONEY-ALONE-CANT-WIN-YOU-GAMES-23052017019017  Manuja Veerappa, May 23, 2017:  The Times of India]
-.    IC-49036H BRIG VIJAI SINGH RANA, MECH INF
+'''See graphic'''
-.    IC-49048X BRIG RAKESH MANOCHA, SM, GRENADIERS
+[[File:Crorepatis, how they fared, IPL-10, 2017.jpg|Crorepatis, how they fared, IPL-10, 2017; [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=MONEY-ALONE-CANT-WIN-YOU-GAMES-23052017019017 The Times of India], May 23, 2017, Manuja Veerappa|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-49095P BRIG AMAR NATH KUKRETI, SM, GRENADIERS
+'''IPL-10: Some Investments Went Down The Drain Although A Few Teams Used Their Big Buys Well'''
-.    IC-49496K BRIG PREET PAL SINGH, 1 GR
+If Tymal Mills' IPL performance is measured by his bid price, then each of the five wickets he claimed for Royal Challengers Bangalore came with a mindboggling tag of Rs 2.40 crore! The England pacer, who at Rs 12 crore was the second costliest player at IPL-10, did not do anything extraordinary in the five appearances he made for his franchise.
-.    IC-49510L BRIG HITESH BHALLA, SC**, SM, MARATHA LI
+A T20 specialist, Mills was among the 21 players who hit pay dirt after being picked for a crore or more at the auction held in February . While Ben Stokes (Rising Pune Supergiant) was the costliest at Rs 14.5 crore, others like M Ashwin (Delhi Daredevils), Dan Christian (Rising Pune Supergiant) and Pawan Negi (RCB) earned Rs 1 crore each at the auction.While a few justified their price tags, some disappointed, while the others returned home after being benched through the season.
-.    IC-49794A BRIG KULDIP PATHAK, SM, MADRAS
+Stokes and Christian were Pune's main picks at the auction and wise ones at that.Stokes was at the heart of Pune's campaign in the 12 matches he played before joining the England team. Electric and quick as a fielder, the all-rounder claimed 12 wickets at an average of 26.33 and scored 316 runs including an unbeaten century (103 n.o.). His presence in the Pune dressing room turned out to be invaluable for the team. Likewise, Christian with 11 wickets from 13 matches didn't do badly either.
-.    MR-05069N BRIG SITARAM GHOSH, AMC
+Apart from Pune, the teams for whom investment in crorepati players turned out to be profitable were Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
-.    MR-05521X BRIG KAVITA SAHAI, AMC
+The pace trio of Trent Boult (Rs 5cr), Chris Woakes (Rs 4.2cr) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (Rs 3.5cr) was Kolkata's top buys of the season.While Boult wasn't in peak form, Woakes turned out to be the bowling trump card for Kolkata, picking up 17 wickets in 13 matches.Coulter-Nile too fared well with 15 wickets from eight outings including his three-for in the Eliminator against Hyderabad.
-.    IC-51475M COL AMIT TALWAR, ARMD
+Afghan spinner Rashid Khan and pacer M Siraj didn't disappoint Hyderabad. A Rs 2-crore investment in veteran Aussie pacer Mitchell Johnson proved to be a game-changer for Mumbai, who were also rewarded for their faith in Karn Sharma (Rs 3.2cr), who saw them through to the final with his tidy bowling. In contrast, Karnataka's spin bowler K Gowtham, who created a buzz after attracting a Rs 2-crore bid, didn't get to play even a game for Mumbai.
-.    IC-52570L COL HARBINDER SINGH BRAR, SIKH
+=2018=
+==The auction==
+'''See graphics''':
-.    IC-52865F COL HEMENDRA BHANDARI, SIKH
+''Some facts about the teams and players in IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2)''
-.    IC-52892L COL KARAN SINGH, RAJPUT
+''Top buys for IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2)''
-.    IC-53563F COL PADAM DEV THAKUR, 21 GARH RIF
+[[File: Some facts about the teams and players in IPL, January 2018.jpg|Some facts about the teams and players in IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2) <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F29&entity=Ar02302&sk=6AF1DD5C&mode=text  Manuja Veerappa, January 2018:  ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-53587L COL VIJAY NARAYAN SHUKLA, INT, 31 CIU
+[[File: Top buys for IPL, January 2018 (both days).jpg|Top buys for IPL, January 2018 (Day 1 and day 2) <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F29&entity=Ar02302&sk=6AF1DD5C&mode=text  Manuja Veerappa, January 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-54165M COL NAVNEET BAKSHI, SM, MARATHA LI
+===The main deals/ 1===
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F28&entity=Ar02719&sk=050F05AF&mode=text Manuja Veerappa, Stokes leads IPL crorepati club,  January 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.    IC-54737H COL ALOK SRIVASTAVA, ASC
+[[File: Big names that went unsold, 2018.jpg|Big names that went unsold, 2018 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F28&entity=Ar02719&sk=050F05AF&mode=text Manuja Veerappa, Stokes leads IPL crorepati club,  January 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    IC-54874F COL ANIL DEV SWAMI, 8 JAK RIF
+'''See graphic''':
-.    IC-55212L COL NALINI RANJAN PANDEY, ARTY, HQ EC
+''Big names that went unsold, 2018''
-.    IC-55867X COL SUNIL BHATT, 1/5 GR
-.    IC-56345N COL HIMANSHU RAWAT, 6/5 GR
+'''Englishman Rakes In Rs 12.5 Crore; Jackpot For Rahul & Pandey Too'''
-.    IC-57387M COL RISHI YADAVA, AOC, 17 FAD
+Many Indian Premier League dreams took flight and a few were crushed as a virtual conveyor belt of 110 established stars and littleknown players went under the hammer on Saturday, the opening day of the two-day IPL mega auction.
-.    IC-57666X COL AJAY KUMAR SHARMA, ARTY, 94 FD REGT
+Like last year, England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who went for Rs. 14.5 crore in 2017, hit paydirt as Rajasthan Royals snapped him up for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore, making him the most expensive buy of the day and most likely of the auction. A pending case against him made no difference to the Englishman’s market value as Chennai Super Kings made the first charge followed by Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders before Rajasthan Royals jumped into the bidding war at the Rs 12-crore mark.
-.    IC-57942P COL PRAVIN CHANDRA JOSHI, ARTY, 328 MED REGT
+Asked about the availability of Stokes, Ranjit Barthakur, chairman and CEO of Royals, said, “As far as we are concerned, the ECB has cleared him for auction; he’s legally available, therefore we’ve bid for him. He’s a very important part. We’re trying to build the team and an all-rounder is absolutely important.”
-.    IC-58466N COL KULWANT SINGH KUHAD, INT, 723 IFSC
+Stokes was followed by KL Rahul and Manish Pandey. The batting talents from Karnataka commanded a mind-boggling Rs 11 crore each which Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad paid with glee. Mitchell Starc (KKR, Rs 9.40cr), Rashid Khan (SRH; Rs 9cr) and R Ashwin (KXIP; Rs. 7.60cr) were the top bowlers to earn the mega bucks.
-.    IC-58675L COL RAMNATH SHANKAR, 8 SIKH LI
+'''UNCAPPED PLAYERS CALL THE SHOTS'''
-.    IC-59159H COL MANEESH PARTHSARTHY, 2 GR, 51 SAG NSG
+As many as 40 uncapped cricketers from India and abroad were paraded. Of them, 19 hit the jackpot, with the price soaring beyond the Rs 1-crore mark. Krunal Pandya (base price Rs 40 lakh) was the biggest gainer among them, taking home a cool Rs 8.8 cr from his home team Mumbai Indians who exercised the RTM privilege even as teams like Bangalore, Royals and Hyderabad engaged in a bidding war for the all-rounder. Even as RCB sealed the deal, Mumbai owners pulled out the RTM card.
-.    IC-59464P COL DEEPANKAR DAS, 19 PUNJAB
+Jofra Archer, the 22-year-old medium-pacer from West Indies was the other big gainer on the day as Royals snapped him up for Rs 7.20 crore. Another overseas uncapped crorepati was D’Arcy Short, the 27-year-old lefthanded batsman-spinner from Australia also going to Royals. Both players have had a golden run at the ongoing Australian Big Bash League.
-.    IC-59605Y COL GURKIRAN PAL SINGH, GARH RIF, HQ 109 INF BDE
+U-19 stars Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 3.2 crore), Shubman Gill (Rs. 1.8 cr), Prithvi Shaw (Rs. 1.2 cr) too joined the elite crorepati club.
-.    IC-59684Y COL SUDIP MAJEE, SM, 14 BIHAR REGT
+'''SOME STARS GET COLD SHOULDER'''
-.    IC-59898P COL LITTON DHAR, GR, 28 AR
+Franchises went mostly on current form and youth rather than reputation and experience. The price tags of some of the old warhorses is a case in point. Yuvraj Singh, who was the highest-paid player of 2014 and 2015, went for his base price of Rs 2 cr to Kings XI Punjab, while Chennai, who went for tried and tested players, were the sole bidders for Harbhajan Singh (Rs 2 cr). The franchises were not overenthusiastic when Gautam Gambhir’s name was called out and Delhi Daredevils welcomed him back for Rs 2.80 crore (base price Rs 2 crore).
-.    IC-60970M COL V SURESH KUMAR, 3 BIHAR
+'''GAYLE GOES UNSOLD'''
-.    MR-06245M COL ALOK BHALLA, AMC, 92 BH
+Meanwhile, explosive West Indies batsman Chris Gayle found no takers. Even RCB didn’t look interested.
-.    IC-60747H LT COL S VENGATESAN, SIGS
+====Highlights====
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F28&entity=Ar00519&sk=01001983&mode=text  January 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.    MR-07286H LT COL RISHI DHILLAN, AMC, 92 BH
+[[File: 10 things to know about IPL auction, 2018.jpg|10 things to know about IPL auction, 2018 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F28&entity=Ar00519&sk=01001983&mode=text  January 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    NR-19914Y LT COL SUSHMA THOMAS, MNS, COMD HOSP NC
+'''See graphic''':
-.    SL-04681L LT COL NARESH KUMAR, GEN SER
+''10 things to know about IPL auction, 2018''
-.    IC-66933P MAJ ANUJ SAMAIYA, INT, 1 FD INT DET(9 CORPS SUR UNIT)
+====Players sold/ 1====
+[[File: Players sold, day 1, (IPL auction, 2018).jpg|Players sold, day 1, (IPL auction, 2018) <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F28&entity=Ar02720&sk=7A6FAF60&mode=text January 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    TA-42967K CAPT NEIL SHAJI, 116 INF BN (TA) PARA ATT WITH 4 PARA (SF)
+'''See graphic''':
-.    TJ-5363N SUB SHEIKH TAHIR, 162 INF BN (TA) JAK LI
+''Players sold, day 1, (IPL auction, 2018)''
-.    JC-561673N NB SUB SHOBHA KANT ROY, 14 BIHAR REGT
+===The main deals/ 2===
+[[File: IPL auction (day 2, 2018), some brief facts.jpg|IPL auction (day 2, 2018), some brief facts <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F29&entity=Ar00130&sk=0DAE681B&mode=text  January 29, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    JC-811984K NB SUB RAVINDER SINGH, INT, 4 CISU
+'''See graphic''':
+''IPL auction (day 2, 2018), some brief facts''
-''''MENTION-IN-DESPATCHES''''
-''OPERATION MEGHDOOT''
-.      IC-68691W MAJ PRASHANT DHUKIA, 3 BIHAR
-''OPERATION RAKSHAK''
+===Most expensive uncapped players===
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F28&entity=Ar02723&sk=B79E634B&mode=text  January 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.      IC-63962Y LT COL PATIL SHREE VIKAS, INT
-.      SS-44871A MAJ SUSHANT KASHYAP, ARMD, 53 RR
-.      SS-46035P MAJ VIKAS TYAGI, INT, 31 CIU
+'''MOST EXPENSIVE UNCAPPED PLAYERS'''
-.      IC-70856H MAJ RAJIV KUMAR, ARTY, 284 FD REGT
+Krunal Pandya (Rs 8.8 cr, MI – RTM; Base price Rs 40 lakh), Jofra Archer (Rs 7.2 cr, RR; BP Rs 40 lakh), Ishan Kishan (Rs 6.2 cr, MI; BP: Rs 40 lakh), D’Arcy Short (Rs 4 cr, RR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Deepak Hooda (Rs 3.6 cr, SRH – RTM; BP: Rs 40 lakh), Siddharth Kaul (Rs 3.8 cr, SRH; BP: Rs 30 lakh), Nitish Rana (Rs 3.4 cr, KKR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 3.4 cr, RR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 3.2 cr, KKR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Vijay Shankar (Rs 3.2 cr, DD; BP: Rs 40 lakh), Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 3.2 cr, MI; BP: Rs 30 lakh), Ankit Rajpoot (Rs 3 cr, KXIP; BP:Rs 30 lakh), Navdeep Saini (Rs 3 cr, RCB; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Khaleel Ahmed (Rs 3 cr, SRH; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Rahul Tewatia (Rs 3 cr, DD; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Shubman Gill (Rs 1.8 cr, KKR; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Prithvi Shaw (Rs 1.2 cr, DD; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Manan Vohra (Rs 1.1 cr, RCB; BP: Rs 20 lakh), Mayank Agarwal (Rs 1 cr, KXIP; BP: Rs 20 lakh).
-.      IC-73066Y MAJ SIDDHARTHDEO SHARMA, ENGRS, 1 RR
+===Lesser known players selected in 2018===
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F01%2F29&entity=Ar02302&sk=6AF1DD5C&mode=text  Manuja Veerappa, RR Break Bank For Pacer, Shell Out ₹11.5Cr To Make Him Costliest Indian, January 29, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.      IC-73396X MAJ PRANIT SINGH, 22 RAJPUT
+Auction in IPL- team, players bought and amount spent
-.      IC-76405Y MAJ AMAN KUMAR MALIK, SIGS, 2 RR
-.      IC-76850X MAJ VINAY KUMAR, ARTY, 14 FD REGT
+About an hour-and-a-half into the second day of the IPL auction, the money left with the franchises started to decrease with capped pacers commanding a good price. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals — the teams with the biggest purse — had one pacer on their ‘mustbuy’ list and the latter had the last laugh.
-.      SS-43753A MAJ AMIT KUMAR MISHRA, 22 RAJPUT
+It turned out to be a blockbuster Sunday for left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat as he went for a mind boggling ₹ 11.5 crore, making him the second most expensive player of this season behind IPL teammate Ben Stokes (₹12.5 crore).
-.    SL-04897M MAJ SHIV KUMAR, ARTY, 841 LT REGT
+Starting off at a base price of ₹ 1.5 crore, it was common knowledge that the 26-yearold will be among the hot picks given his T20 credentials which includes 24 wickets last season, Chennai Super Kings were the first to bid for him and Kings XI Punjab jumped in immediately. Rajasthan Royals, who were mute spectators until the bid crossed the ₹11-crore mark, upped the ante and made the winning bid for the Saurashtra bowler, who last season went to Rising Pune Supergiants for his base price of ₹30 lakh.
+As the auction drew to a close, 169 of the 581 players found a team with a total of ₹431.7 crore spent on them. This included 56 overseas players from across nine countries.
+Earlier, Kings XI Punjab fought it out with Chennai for Australian pacer Andrew Tye before bagging him for ₹7.2 crore. After an intense paddle war between Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, Karnataka spinner and a handy bat K Gowtham went to Royals for an impressive ₹6.2 crore.
-.    SS-45964F CAPT PANKAJ BEHL, ARMD, 53 RR
+AFGHANS HIT JACKPOT
-.    JC-431198Y SUB RANJIV KUMAR, 19 PUNJAB
+Over the weekend, four players from Afghanistan generated a lot of buzz. After Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi returned to Sunrisers Hyderabad, 16-year-old Mujeeb Zadran and Zahir Khan went to Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively.
-.    JC-603225L NB SUB HARI KAJI GURUNG, 4/1 GR
+Mujeeb, who hails from Khost, a town 250km from Kabul, shot into the limelight last year when he picked up four wickets on debut against Ireland. The offie, often referred to as a mystery spinner, started with a base price of ₹50 lakh and Punjab and Delhi Daredevils immediately engaged in intense bidding. Delhi dropped out at ₹3.80 crore and Punjab sealed the deal at ₹4 crore. Mujeeb’s compatriot Zahir, went for ₹ 60 lakh from a base price of ₹20 lakh.
-.    14433932W RHM AJIT KUMAR, ARTY, 284 FD REGT
+INVESTMENT IN FUTURE
-.    1494768P HAV GOVINDA BAHADUR KHARKA, ENGRS, 57 ENGR REGT
+With an eye on the future, the franchisees picked a total of seven India U-19 players, of whom four were bought on the second day. Speed gun Shivam Mavi went for ₹ 3 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders while big hitters Abhishek Sharma and Manjot Kalra were both snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for ₹55 lakh and ₹20 lakh respectively. Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy headed to the Mumbai Indians camp for ₹20 lakh.
-.    3402382K HAV MANJIT SINGH, 2 SIKH
+A FIRST FOR NEPAL CRICKET
-.    3405930F NK GURPREET SINGH, 22 SIKH
+Nepal’s spin bowler Sandeep Lamichhane became the first player from Nepal to bag an IPL contract when Delhi got him on board for ₹20 lakh. The 17-year-old is highly rated by former Australian skipper Michael Clarke, who mentored him during a league in Hong Kong.
-.    3408483N NK JASMINDER SINGH, 22 SIKH
+GAYLE GETS THIRD TIME LUCKY
-.    4194971P NK ANAND SINGH, KUMAON, 50 RR
+West Indies big-hitter Chris Gayle, a marquee player who went unsold on the opening day and in the second session of the second day, emerged lucky the third time when Punjab successfully bid for him at his ₹ 2-crore base price. Likewise, Murali Vijay too was brought in the first round of the accelerated process by Chennai Super Kings at his base price (₹ 2 crore). Another current international Parthiv Patel (₹ 1.70 cr) headed to Royal Challengers Bangalore as did Mitchell Johnson (₹ 2 crore, KKR) and Tim Southee (₹1crore, RCB). Among the big names who failed to attract any bidders were Dale Steyn, Eoin Morgan, Martin Guptill, Joe Root, Nathan Lyon and Tymal Mills, who was the second most expensive player last season at ₹ 12 crore.
-.    4571905N NK RAMESH ORAON, 15 MAHAR
+===The youngest, the oldest, average age===
+[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-2018-are-veterans-still-worth-the-gamble/articleshow/63637384.cms  Partha Bhaduri, April 6, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-.    5048631P NK KAYAR SINGH SARU, 2/1 GR
+[[File: Youngest and oldest players in each IPL team, April 2018.jpg|Youngest and oldest players in each IPL team, April 2018 <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-2018-are-veterans-still-worth-the-gamble/articleshow/63637384.cms  Partha Bhaduri, April 6, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    5757743H NK BAL BAHADUR PARIYAR, 3/8 GR
+[[File: Average age of players in IPL 2018.jpg|Average age of players in IPL 2018 <br/> From: [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-2018-are-veterans-still-worth-the-gamble/articleshow/63637384.cms  Partha Bhaduri, April 6, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-.    13624678K NK LAL SINGH, 4 PARA (SF)
-.    13769292L NK SUNIL KUMAR, 4 PARA (SF)
+'''HIGHLIGHTS'''
-.    5049519P NK DHAN BAHADUR DHENGA, 4/1 GR
+IPL has also welcomed those simply hoping to revive sagging mid-career fortunes with a booster shot of cricketing glory
-.    2707505X SEP SUKHVINDER SINGH, GRENADIERS, 55 RR
+In 2016, the average age of the top-10 was 29.10. Three players were above 30, and one was below 25
-.    4287089N SEP PRAFULA KUMAR MALLICK, 21 BIHAR
+Last season the average age of the top-10 grew again to 30.30, with seven batsmen above 30 in the list
-.    4487553W SEP SHAMSHER SINGH, 8 SIKH LI
+Worried about age spots? An IPL treatment may be just what you need. We’re not talking about the intense pulsed light cosmetic procedure so common in the beauty industry, but the glowing cricketing equivalent, the Indian Premier League. Since its inception in the nascent days of T20 strategizing, the league has been a haven for those seeking to smoothen the wrinkles of a post-retirement life. IPL has also welcomed those simply hoping to revive sagging mid-career fortunes with a booster shot of cricketing glory. Even at the auctions, reputation has tended to precede both skills and promise in the expense stakes.
-.    4488153W SEP GURPREET SINGH, SIKH LI, 19 RR
+This time around, the trend seems to have been bucked at the auctions, either because of a large number of available cricketers in the twilight of their careers or a more deliberate move from franchises to bank on fresh legs.
-.    20002892K SEP PRINCE JASWAL, 20 DOGRA
+Some like CSK, though, have remained firmly in favour of veterans. Their logic is a proven one: the T20 game is a short one, so those high on skill and experience but low on youthful energy won’t be caught out in a hurry. They can, instead, shave off the years when it comes to performance.
-.    4096814M RFN KUSHAL SINGH, 4 GARH RIF
+CSK seem to have done their homework on the batting front. For the past three IPL seasons, the average age of the top 10 batting performers has been rising slowly and steadily. In 2015, the average age of the top-10 was 28.50, with Chris Gayle being the oldest at 35 (at that time) and Ajinkya Rahane being the youngest then at 26, which means all 10 batsmen were above 25. Four were above 30.
-.    16020643F RFN PRAVANDH SINGH TOMAR, 16 RAJ RIF
+In 2016, the average age of the top-10 grew to 29.10, although only three were above 30, and one was below 25 (Quinton de Kock, 23 at the time). This was because of a large concentration of cricketers in the 27-34 age group, when a batsmen is in his prime.
-.    4092077Y PTR LAXMAN SINGH RAWAT, 9 PARA (SF)
+Last season the average age of the top-10 grew again to 30.30, with seven batsmen above 30 in the list. The oldest was Gautam Gambhir at 35, the youngest Rahul Tripathi at 26. This doesn’t mean, though, that seniority is a guarantee of success and the other franchises have erred in banking on youth. A similar peek into the top-10 bowlers reveals the average age has been shrinking, from 28.80 in 2015 to 26.60 in 2017.
+Interestingly, the average age of the worst batting performers too has been rising steadily. The top-10 worst batting performers (taking into consideration batting positions No. 1 to 6 only, minimum 11 innings) had an average age of 30.4 last season, up from 28.7 in 2016. That means banking on senior players is often a gamble. So what’s an IPL team management to do when picking a side?
-==B==
+For one, picking younger bowlers is the way to go. The days of the Nehras, Hoggs and Tambes may be over. On the batting front, there is an important difference in the ‘best and ‘worst’ sets: the ‘worst of ’ batting lists tend to be thinner on performers of pedigree, meaning who have also excelled with the bat at international level in ODI or Test cricket over time.
-[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F08%2F15&entity=Ar02007&sk=01A47B1A&mode=text  Kirti Chakra for sepoy who fought ultras till last breath, August 15, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
+The highest, fittest achievers are more adept at stretching peak performance well into their 30s. So if you’re picking seniors, picking the ones with the best international records may be the way to go.
-''Slain Rifleman Aurangzeb, Major Aditya & 18 Others Get Shaurya Chakra''
+This time at the auction, many franchises displayed a tendency to pick younger domestic performers, the likes of Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Rahul Tripathi and Ishan Kishan, to name just three. That means they have spent less on some proven but ageing players. This may have saved owners money, but until it translates into winning performances, their furrowed brows may not smoothen soon.
-Sepoy Vrahma Pal Singh of Rajput Regiment, who heroically laid down his life in a fierce counter-insurgency operation in which three terrorists were killed in Pulwama in J&K last November, has been posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, the country’s second-highest peacetime bravery medal.
+==IPL business model==
-Rifleman Aurangzeb of J&K Light Infantry, who was abducted, video-taped during interrogation and killed by terrorists while on way to his home in Salani village in Poonch for Eid in June, was among the 20 Shaurya Chakra awardees in this year’s Independence Day gallantry list.
+IPL runs on a Central and Local pool of sponsorships for revenues. Broadcasters, tournament sponsors, title rights holders and bid monies form the central pool. Gate money, in-stadia advertising, franchise sponsors and merchandising make for the Local Pool. The Central Pool revenue is shared by all eight franchises on a percentage basis. The franchise has to fend for itself where Local Pool is concerned.
-Apart from taking part in several operations, during one of which he rescued an injured soldier and wounded three terrorists, Aurangzeb became a target for the terrorists because he was the ‘buddy’ of his company commander Major Rohit Shukla, who had killed dreaded terrorist Sameer Tiger.
+==Future==
-Major Aditya Kumar of 10 Garhwal Rifles, who lead an operation in Budgam in which four terrorists were killed last November, was among those awarded the country’s thirdhighest peacetime gallantry medal. Major Kumar had hit the headlines in January when he was named in an FIR by the J&K police after his unit opened fire in face of their convoy being surrounded by a violent stone-pelting mob that even tried to lynch a junior commissioner officer in Shopian, leading to three civilians being killed.
+The players from Royals and CSK franchise cannot be bought by or absorbed in any other franchise. Each team has a limit of 26 players and a fixed purse. For CSK and RR players to participate in IPL, the BCCI will have to float a tender for two fresh teams. There is no restriction if CSK and RR want to sell their franchises ahead of the coming season, after BCCI clearance. A full-fledged auction of all players is now scheduled after the 2016 edition of IPL.Both Royals and CSK have 26 players each and so do most other franchises. CSK has one-year contracts with most of its cricketers, who can go back into the auction pool but other franchises will have to off-load players to be able to buy them. With Kochi Tuskers winning their arbitration with BCCI, they're free to participate in IPL. Some players can be included in the Kochi franchise if they agree to play the tournament. However, one new franchise will still have to be auctioned. If Kochi Tuskers are unwilling to play, BCCI will have to auction two new franchises. IPL broadcast rights are up for a resale in 2017.
-The other Shaurya Chakra awardees from Army are Lt-Colonel Arjun Sharma (Jat), Majors Aditya Kumar (Garhwal Rifles), Pawan Gautam (Engineers) and Pawan Kumar (Jat), Captains Kaninder Paul Singh (Rajput) and Rajesh Jayesh Varma (Rajput), Naib Subedars Anil Kumar Dhaiya (Para) and Vijay Kumar Yadav (Maratha Li), Havildars Kul Bahadur Thapa (Para-SF) and Jaweed Ahmad Bhat (Para-SF), and Grenadier Ranjit Singh (Artillery). Two soldiers from Assam Rifles, Jaiprakash Oraon (posthumous) and Rathva Lilesh Bhai, were also awarded.
+==The finals (graphic)==
+[[File: The results of the IPL finals, 2018- CSK beat SRH; CSK’s performance in the finals, 2008-2018.jpg|The results of the IPL finals, 2018- CSK beat SRH; CSK’s performance in the finals, 2008-2018 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F05%2F28&entity=Ar00315&sk=5969B9ED&mode=text  May 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-Captain P Rajkumar of the Navy, who flew daredevil missions in his Sea King helicopter to rescue several people during severe cyclonic storm Ockhi last December, was awarded the Shaurya Chakra. It was also awarded to CRPF deputy commandant Kuldeep Singh Chahar, head constable A S Krishna, constables K Dinesh Raja, Prafulla Kumar and Dhanawade Ravindra Baban (posthumous).
+'''See graphic''':
-Six women naval officers who undertook an arduous voyage of eight months to circumnavigate the globe on a sail boat under the ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ expedition — Lt-Commanders Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal and Swati P, and Lieutenants Aishwarya Boddapati, S Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta — were awarded the Nao Sena Medal for gallantry.
+''The results of the IPL finals, 2018: CSK beat SRH <br/> CSK’s performance in the finals, 2008-2018''
-=2019
+==The best batsmen, bowlers IPL 2018==
-==Republic Day/ The awardees==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F05%2F28&entity=Ar01902&sk=0914FDE1&mode=text  Gaurav Gupta, Veteran Aussie Pulverises SRH With Blazing Century As Chennai Canter To Title, May 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-[http://pibphoto.nic.in/documents/rlink/2019/jan/p201912504.pdf   ''Press Information Bureau'']
-[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F01%2F26&entity=Ar02709&sk=4528E56B&mode=text  885 personnel get police medals, CRPF tops the tally, January 26, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
+[[File: The best batsmen, bowlers of IPL 2018.jpg|The best batsmen, bowlers of IPL 2018 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F05%2F28&entity=Ar01902&sk=0914FDE1&mode=text  Gaurav Gupta, Veteran Aussie Pulverises SRH With Blazing Century As Chennai Canter To Title, May 28, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+“Teams win games, but finals are won by individuals,” MS Dhoni had quipped on the eve of the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. His words proved prophetic as Shane Watson smashed the highest-ever score in an IPL final to seal the 2018 crown for CSK.
-Two CRPF constables, Pradeep Panda and Rajinder Kumar Nain, have been awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously while an assistant commandant of the force, Zile Singh, has been awarded Shaurya Chakra this Republic Day for fighting terrorists during a 36-hour long operation in Lethopora camp attack on December 30, 2017.
+Watson pulverized the Sunrisers bowlers during his breathtaking, unbeaten 117 (57b, 11x4, 8x6) to turn the summit clash into a ridiculously one-sided affair at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night.
-In all, total 885 police personnel from across the country were honoured by the government for their services.
+The Aussie’s blazing century, his second of the tournament, completed a fairytale return to the IPL for CSK, who clinched their third title after being banned for two years.
-Apart from Kirti and Shaurya Chakras, three CRPF personnel, Mohammad Yaseen Tali, Borase Dinesh Pathak and Jaswant Singh, have also been awarded President’s Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG) posthumously for sacrificing their lives while fighting Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in the Valley.
+When he took 10 balls to get off the mark, little did one realize that Wason would explode in such a fashion that CSK would gallop home with as many as nine balls and eight wickets still intact. Chasing 179, the 37-year-old chose to be cautious at the start as he played out Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first over for a maiden.
-CRPF has the biggest share among all paramilitary forces, police or central investigation agencies with a total of 106 medals.
+After taking his time to get his eye in, Watson tore into one of the best attacks of the tournament with his devastating blade.
-Assistant commandant Anurag Kumar of ITBP, who was part of a security forces’ team that killed LeT commander Abu Dujana in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017, has also been awarded the police medal for gallantry.
+Sandep Sharma won’t forget the mauling that he received in the 13th over from Watson in a hurry. Ball after ball, the young medium-pacer ran in, trying the slower, knuckle delivery outside off stump, which normally ties up a batsman in knots in T20 cricket. However, on Sunday night, those deliveries landed deep into the stands behind long on, thrice in succession.
-Out of 885 medals, Police Medals for Gallantry (PMG) have been given to 146 personnel, President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service to 74 personnel and Police Medal for Meritorious Service to 632 personnel.
+Between this six-hitting spree, Watson carted the youngster, who was consoled by his captain Kane Williamson, for two fours too, in an over which cost the Sunrisers 27 runs, and reduced the remaining part of the chase to a canter. To add to the Sunrisers’ woes, pacer Siddharth Kaul endured a horrible night as well, going for 43 for three overs, even as the experienced Watson negated the Rashid threat too.
-Among the 146 personnel receiving the Police Medals for Gallantry, 41 are from the CRPF, 26 from the Odisha Police, 25 belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, 14 from the Chhattisgarh Police, 13 from the Meghalaya Police, 10 belonging to the Uttar Pradesh Police, eight from the Border Security Force, four from the Delhi Police, three from the Jharkhand Police and one each from the Assam Rifles and Indo Tibetan Border Police.
+Watson found an able ally in Suresh Raina (32), as the pair added 117 in 57 balls for the second wicket, after Faf du Plessis was dismissed early.
-===ASHOK CHAKRA===
+Earlier, Sunrisers picked up pace in the second half of their innings to post a competitive 178 for six.
-[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F01%2F25&entity=Ar00507&sk=44AC6EB1&mode=text  Ashoka Chakra for ex-militant who died fighting as a soldier, January 25, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
-[[File: Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani.jpg|Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F01%2F25&entity=Ar00507&sk=44AC6EB1&mode=text  Ashoka Chakra for ex-militant who died fighting as a soldier, January 25, 2019: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+Put in by Dhoni, the Sunrisers were initially pegged back by good spells from seamers Lungi Ngidi and Deepak Chahar. Ngidi even bowled a maiden in his first spell.
+SRH suffered an initial setback when ‘keeper-bat Shreevats Goswami, who replaced an injured Wriddhiman Saha, was run out by Karn Sharma while going for a needless second run.
-'''LANCE NAIK NAZIR AHMAD WANI, BAR TO SENA MEDAL'''
+That blow meant skipper Kane Williamson was in the middle by the second over. Together with Shikhar Dhawan (26, 25b, 2x4, 1x6), Williamson (47, 36b, 5x4, 2x6) stablized the innings. After Dhawan was castled by Ravindra Jadeja, middle-order batsmen Shakib Al Hasan (23, Yusuf Pathan (45 not out) and Carlos Brathwaite (21) all chipped in as SRH collected 105 from the last 10 overs.
-''THE JAMMU AND KASHMIR LIGHT INFANTRY / 34TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES (POSTHUMOUS)''
+The trio’s effort helped SRH get over the setback of losing Williamson, who was stumped while giving the charge to a Karn delivery which spun away far outside the off stump. Though he couldn’t complete what would’ve been his ninth fifty in the 2018 IPL, Williamson joined a rare club of batsmen who’ve completed 700 runs in a season.
-Since his enrolement in the Army, Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, SM**, epitomised qualities of a fine soldier. He always volunteered for challenging missions, displaying great courage under adverse conditions, exposing himself to grave danger on numerous occasions in the line of duty. This is evident from the two gallantry awards conferred on him earlier.
+==The best performers/ first 30 games ==
+[[File: IPL 11 (2018)- The best performers of the first 30 games.jpg|IPL 11 (2018)- The best performers of the first 30 games <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F05%2F02&entity=Ar00524&sk=E85E35EE&mode=text  Dhananjay Mahapatra, SC’s switch hit: Won’t force one-state, one-vote on BCCI, May 2, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-Lance Naik Nazir, yet again insisted on being part of the assault team during Operation Batagund launched by 34 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion on 25 Nov 2018 post receipt of credible intelligence regarding presence of six heavily armed terrorists in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Tasked to block the most likely escape route, Lance Naik Nazir, moved swiftly with his team to the target house and tactically positioned himself within striking distance. Sensing danger, the terrorists attempted breaching the inner cordon firing indiscriminately and lobbing grenades. Undeterred by the situation, the NCO held ground and eliminated one terrorist in a fierce exchange at close range. The terrorist was later identified as a dreaded district commander of Lashker-e-Taiba.
+'''See graphic''':
-Thereafter, displaying exemplary soldierly skills, Lance Naik Nazir closed in with the target house under heavy fire and lobbed grenades into a room where another terrorist was hiding. Seeing the foreign terrorist escaping from the window, the NCO encountered him in a hand to hand combat situation. Despite being severely wounded, Lance Naik Nazir eliminated the terrorist.
+''IPL 11 (2018)- The best performers of the first 30 games''
-Showing utter disregard to his injury, Lance Naik Nazir continued to engage the remaining terrorists with same ferocity and audacity. He injured yet another terrorist at close range, but was hit again and succumbed to his injuries.
+==November: Extension, retention and dropping of players==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F11%2F16&entity=Ar02501&sk=DACF3839&mode=text  Saibal Bose, Unadkat dropped over ‘high auction-price pressure’, November 16, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-For displaying unparalleled bravery and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty, Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, SM** is awarded “ASHOK CHAKRA (POSTHUMOUS)”.
+[[File: Nov 2018- The extension, retention and dropping of players by IPL franchises.jpg|November 2018- The extension, retention and dropping of players by IPL franchises <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F11%2F16&entity=Ar02501&sk=DACF3839&mode=text  Saibal Bose, Unadkat dropped over ‘high auction-price pressure’, November 16, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+Rajasthan Royals continue to surprise. After having snapped up medium-pacer Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 11.3 crore, the highest for an Indian in the IPL auctions held early this year, the Jaipur-based franchise dropped another bombshell by releasing him. The reason for the decision was apparently the player’s high auction price.
-Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, a former militant who joined the Territorial Army 15 years ago and then went on to win two Sena Medals for bravery before heroically laying down his life in a major counter-terrorism operation in which six terrorists were killed last November, will be awarded the country’s highest peacetime gallantry medal on Republic Day this year.
+“When reviewing Jaydev’s contributions to the team, we felt there was too much pressure on him to deliver vis-a-vis his auction price and hence we thought it would be better to release him,” Royals head of cricket Zubin Bharucha told TOI.
-Wani’s widow Mehjabin Akhtar, accompanied by his mother Raja Begum, will receive the Ashoka Chakra from President Ram Nath Kovind during the Republic Day parade on Saturday.
+Unadkat had failed to deliver to expectations in the last edition of the IPL, having taken just 11 wickets in 15 matches, with the economy rate was a shade below 10. Royals owner Manoj Badale had told TOI after the auctions that the idea was to plan their strategy around an Indian strike bowler and Unadkat fitted the bill.
-Apart from his wife, Wani is survived by two sons, Athar (20) and Shaid (18).
+“We want to go into the next auction with a free mind,” a Royals official told TOI. Jaipur is scheduled to host the auctions in the third week of December. Royals also released another much talked-about player, South Africa’s big-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen. Australian batsman D’Arcy Short and veteran medium-pacer Ben Laughlin were also released.
-On November 25 last year, Wani was at the forefront of a major operation being conducted by 34 Rashtriya Rifles against six heavily armed terrorists at Hirapur village, near Batagund in Shopian district of Kashmir Valley. He moved swiftly with his team to the target house and positioned himself to block the likely escape route of the terrorists.
+'''DAREDEVILS RELEASE GAMBHIR'''
-“The terrorists attempted to breach the inner cordon by firing indiscriminately and lobbing grenades. Undeterred by the hail of bullets, Wani eliminated the district commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Thereafter, displaying exemplary soldierly skills, Wani lobbed grenades into a room where another foreign terrorist was hiding,” said an officer.
+Delhi Daredevils expectedly released Gautam Gambhir, who stepped down as the team’s in the middle of the 2018 season after a poor run of form. Apart from Gambhir, Delhi also released Jason Roy, Junior Dala, Liam Plunkett, Mohammed Shami, Sayan Ghosh, Daniel Christian, Glenn Maxwell, Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Naman Ojha. The retained Delhi players include captain Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Amit Mishra and teen sensation Prithvi Shaw.
-'''Wani won Sena medals in 2007 & 2017 for counter-terror ops'''
+'''SUNRISERS RETAIN WARNER, LET GO OF BRATHWAITE, SAHA'''
-Seeing the terrorist escaping from a window, Wani encountered him in a hand-to-hand combat situation. Despite being gravely wounded after being hit multiple times, including on his head, Wani killed the terrorist and continued to engage the remaining terrorists with the same ferocity and audacity. He injured yet another terrorist at close range, but was hit again and succumbed to his injuries,” he added.
+Sunrisers Hyderabad retained David Warner — who missed the 2018 season following the ball-tampering scandal — while releasing nine players, including West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite.
-Wani, a resident of Cheki Ashmuji in Kulgam district of J&K, was enrolled in the 162 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), which is affiliated to the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry and largely consists of surrendered militants or “Ikhwanis”. He won Sena Medals in 2007 and 2017 for his “exemplary courage, outstanding bravery and dedication towards duty” during the “successful execution” of many counter-terror operations in south Kashmir over the years.
+SRH retained 17 players. England’s Alex Hales and all-rounder Chris Jordan too were dumped by franchise. Among Indians, the notable player to be released was Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. Earlier, Sunrisers had traded opener Shikhar Dhawan for Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nazeem and Vijay Shankar with Daredevils.
-“Lance Naik Wani epitomised the qualities of a fine soldier. He always volunteered for challenging missions, displaying great courage under adverse conditions, exposing himself to grave danger on numerous occasions in the line of duty,” said a Rashtrapati Bhavan notification.
-===KIRTI CHAKRA===
+'''KINGS RELEASE AXAR, YUVI, FINCH'''
-[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F01%2F26&entity=Ar02702&sk=7FD9C1E0&mode=text  2 soldiers awarded Kirti Chakra for fighting terrorists, January 26, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
+India’s 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh, left-arm spinner Axar Patel and Australia’s current limitedovers skipper Aaron Finch were among 11 players released by Kings XI Punjab. A pale shadow of his once explosive self, the 36-year-old Yuvraj managed just 65 runs at an abysmal average of 10.83 in eight games. With 134 runs in 10 games@16.75, the usually consistent Finch too didn’t find runs. Others who have been released are Ben Dwarshuis, former India pacers Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran, batsman Manoj Tiwary, Kashmir’s Manzoor Dar, Akshdeep Nath and Mayank Dagar. Kings XI finished seventh out of eight teams last year.
-The nation’s second-highest peacetime gallantry medal Kirti Chakra has been awarded to Major Tushar Gauba and sepoy Vijay Kumar (posthumously) for “uncommon valour” and “indomitable raw courage” during counter-terror operations in J&K, in addition to the Ashoka Chakra posthumously awarded to militant-turned-soldier Lance Naik Nazir A Wani.
-Major Gauba (20 Jat Regiment) single-handedly killed three militants trying to infiltrate across the line of control, while also rescuing one of his injured colleagues in Kupwara last year. “With utter disregard to his safety, Major Gauba showed tactical acumen by charging at the terrorists after crawling 20 metres under heavy fire. He killed the three terrorists in close combat,” said an officer.
+'''MUMBAI DROP CUMMINS, MUSTAFIZUR AND DUMINY'''
-Sepoy Kumar (22 Rashtriya Rifles), in turn, laid down his life while eliminating two terrorists during an operation in village Darsu in Baramulla district in August last year. “He came out in the open to cover the movement of some of his fellow soldiers who had come under heavy fire. He directly engaged the terrorists, killing one in the firefight. Despite being injured, he refused evacuation and later killed the second terrorist in hand-to-hand combat before succumbing to his injuries,” said the officer.
+The Mumbai Indians on Thursday released South African batsman Jean-Paul Duminy, seamers Pat Cummins (Australia) and Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) and Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya, while retaining 18 players. Cummins was bought by MI for Rs 5.4 crore, but was ruled out before the start of the last IPL due to injury. There were reports that Cricket Australia (CA) pulled him out due to fear of a burnout or injury during the tournament.
-The nine Shaurya Chakras awarded this Republic Day are also all connected to counter-terror operations in Jammu & Kashmir.
+Mustafizur Rahman was purchased for Rs 2.2 crore, but played only seven matches last season, taking as many wickets. The left-arm paceman was with Sunrisers Hyderabad previously. Duminy was bought for Rs 1 crore, but played just six matches, in which he managed only 36 runs. MI have also released six domestic players — Saurabh Tiwary, Pradeep Sangwan, Sharad Lumba, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, UP pacer Mohsin Khan and Kerala’s MD Nidheesh.
-====1====
+The Mumbai franchise’s list of 10 released players includes one capped, five uncapped and four international players.
-'''KIRTI CHAKRA'''
+=2019=
+==The main deals at the auction==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F12%2F19&entity=Ar03000&sk=7F3F2465&mode=text  Saibal Bose, December 19, 2018: ''The Times of India'']
-'''MAJOR TUSHAR GAUBA'''
+[[File:  Indian Premier League, 2019- The main deals at the auction.jpg| Indian Premier League, 2019- The main deals at the auction <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2018%2F12%2F19&entity=Ar03000&sk=7F3F2465&mode=text  Saibal Bose, December 19, 2018: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-''20TH BATTALION THE JAT REGIMENT''
-On the night of 23 May 2018, eight militants attempted an infiltration across Line of Control in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. At 0400 hours on 24 May 2018 Major Tushar Gauba laid an ambush to deny exfiltration to the terrorists. On night of 25 May terrorists tried to exfiltrate. Showing presence of mind Major Tushar redeployed his ambush. At 0530 hours on 26 May terrorist group sensed the location of ambush led by Major Tushar and started indiscriminatory fire using automatic rifles and hand grenades in which Sepoy Sunil Kumar sustained splinter injuries. Major Tushar Gauba immediately evacuated his injured colleague, while continuously firing on the terrorists and pinning them down. As the firefight progressed, Major Tushar Gauba realized that he had to get closer to the hiding terrorists. Major Tushar Gauba crawled upto 20 meter close to the terrorists under heavy firing by terrorists. He lobbed a hand grenade and with utter disregard to his personal safety charged on the terrorists firing his weapon. In close combat undeterred by the terrorists fire he killed three militants.
+''RR Keep Medium-Pacer At Lower Price, Kings XI Add Mystery To Their Attack''
-His act of unparallel bravery under heavy terrorist fire, tactical acumen and swift action to save his party resulted in elimination of three hardcore terrorist and no further casualty to own troops.
+Rajasthan Royals continue to surprise. After releasing Jaydev Unadkat for being high priced, they bought him right back for Rs 8.40 crores, making him the joint costliest player at Tuesday’s auctions. Given that they had snapped up the left-arm medium-pacer for Rs 11.5 crores in February, Unadkat might be feeling robbed of Rs 3.1 crores.
-For displaying this act of uncommon valour, Major Tushar Gauba is awarded “KIRTI CHAKRA”.
+There would be no mixed feelings for Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu, who matched Unadkat in money splurged on him. He hit the jackpot with Kings XI Punjab pocketing the 27-year old, who can bowl both leg-spin and offspin. It is said about Chakravarthy that he gets through his four overs before the rivals can unravel him. Staring at a base price of Rs 20 lakh, Chakravarthy went for 42 times that amount.
-====2====
+England’s Sam Curran was called in rather late, but some of the franchises seemed to have held back their purse for him. The all-rounder, whose reputation has soared since his performance against India, caused a bidding war among Kings Xi Punjab, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Punjab added him to their roster for Rs 7.20 crore, making him the costliest overseas player on Tuesday.
-'''KIRTI CHAKRA'''
+Even though bowlers were mainly in focus, South African batsman Colin Ingram was laughing his way to the bank with Delhi Capitals buying him for Rs 6.4 crore.
-'''SOWAR VIJAY KUMAR'''
+Mumbai youngster Shivam Dube quite expectedly generated interest after smashing five sixes in one over recently. Royal Challengers Bangalore added him to the kitty for Rs 5 crore, the same price that Mohit Sharma (CSK), Axar Patel (DC) and Carlos Braithwaite earned. The Bengaluru side’s management, in fact, spoke of Dube’s sixes while justifying his high price.
-''THE ARMOURED CORPS / 22ND BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES (POSTHUMOUS)''
+Kings XI threw up another stunner in outbidding Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians for 18-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Prabhsimran Singh (Rs 4.80 crore).
-Sowar Vijay Kumar, 22 Rashtriya Rifles (PUNJAB) deployed at Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, was part of “OPERATION VIJAY DARSU” conducted on 02 and 03 August 2018.
+Among the players currently playing for Team India, Mohammad Shami was the top pick at Rs 4.80 crore. Kings XI Punjab, on a rebuilding spree, will most likely use him as their strike bowler.
-On 02 August 2018, based on input regarding presence of terrorists in village Darsu, an operation was launched. He was the guide of party that laid initial cordon and covered most likely escape route. Around 0230 hours terrorists opened heavy fire towards his position to break cordon; undeterred he returned fire forcing terrorist to hide in maize field. Around 0915 hours when search was being carried out by Major Varun Gaur, terrorist brought down heavy fire on the party. Sensing danger to his comrades he came out in the open and directly engaged the terrorists, to cover the movement. In the firefight he got injured but eliminated one terrorist.
+Golden oldies like Brendon McCullum got the royal ignore while Yuvraj Singh had to be brought back, Mumbai Indians buying him at base price of Rs 1 crore. In fact, all the highestrated spinners were left unsold. Clearly, the franchises were looking for surprise elements like Chakravarthy. “He is unknown and that is an advantage,” KXIP CEO Satish Menon explained. “It’s also the World Cup year and we don’t know whom we might lose. Varun is more of a backup to Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Zadran.”
-Despite being injured he refused evacuation and under effective covering fire from his buddy he crawled forward and eliminated second terrorist in hand to hand combat.
+==Teams in the final==
+[[File: CSK vs. MI reached the final of IPL, 2019.jpg|CSK vs. MI reached the final of IPL, 2019 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F05%2F11&entity=Ar00305&sk=B5FA5609&mode=image  May 11, 2019: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-For displaying indomitable raw courage and undaunting bravery beyond the call of duty in eliminating two hardcore terrorists, Sowar Vijay Kumar is awarded “KIRTI CHAKRA (POSTHUMOUS)”.
+See graphic, 'CSK vs. MI reached the final of IPL, 2019'
-===SHAURYA CHAKRA===
+== MI win the title==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F05%2F13&entity=Ar02115&sk=DA7AC4DA&mode=text  JAC Gladson, May 13, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: LIEUTENANT COLONEL VIKRANT PRASHER'''
+[[File: The IPL final, 2019- Scoreboard .jpg|The IPL final, 2019- Scoreboard  <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F05%2F13&entity=Ar02115&sk=DA7AC4DA&mode=text  JAC Gladson, May 13, 2019: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-''10TH BATTALION THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT (SPECIAL FORCES)''
+[[File: MI beat CSK in the final of IPL, 2019.jpg| MI beat CSK in the final of IPL, 2019 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F05%2F13&entity=Ar00305&sk=AF312A30&mode=image  May 13, 2019: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-Lieutenant Colonel Vikrant Prasher of 10 Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) led a small team to eliminate a hardcore terrorist.
+'''See graphics''':
-In August 2018, presence of category A++ terrorist was confirmed in a specific area in Central Kashmir. Lieutenant Colonel Prasher, alongwith three other ranks displaying extreme mental agility and situational awareness, closed in on the terrorists leader in a busy market place. Identifying the terrorist in the market was extremely challenging, and difficult to pinpoint their exact location. Suddenly, Lieutenant Colonel Vikrant Prasher came face to face with the terrorists and firefight ensued with the groups of terrorists, at extremely close range. Reacting swiftly, unmindful of fire and risks, Lieutenant Colonel Vikrant Prasher skillfully and accurately eliminated the terrorist leader and had to dive for cover under the return fire while the other terrorists disappeared amongst the crowd. Lieutenant Colonel Prasher skillfully retrieved his small team from volatile crowd in quick time with tremendous professional grit.
+'' The IPL final, 2019- Scoreboard ''
-For displaying untranscended bravery, superior tactical expertise, ingenuity and unorthodox approach leading to surgical elimination of a category A++ terrorist commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vikrant Prasher is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA”.
+'' MI beat CSK in the final of IPL, 2019 ''
+A proven track record does no good if you’re not good on the day. Having made his point beautifully on the eve of the IPL 2019 final against Chennai Super Kings, Rohit Sharma and Co. were expected to not just merely turn up, but put in an impressive performance. And by converting their words into deeds, Mumbai Indians not only won their fourth title but their one-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday was the second such finish – they had defeated Pune Warriors by the same margin in 2017.
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: MAJOR AMIT KUMAR DIMRI'''
+In Chennai, Mumbai had an opposition that’s weathered many a storm, but in not refusing to give up or give in, Mumbai are now in a league of their own with the skipper making it a penta – four titles with Mumbai and one with Deccan Chargers.
-''THE GARHWAL RIFLES /14TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES''
+As is their wont, Chennai turned the contest into a gripping finale and Rahul Chahar nearly cost them the game when he reprieved Shane Watson with the opener going great guns on 55. The Aussie smashed two overs for 20 runs each off Lasith Malinga (16th) and Krunal Pandya (18th) to negate all the good work Rahul Chahar had done by restricting Chennai to 72 for two at the halfway stage — they eventually had to rest content with 148/7.
-Major Amit Kumar Dimri joined 14 Rashtriya Rifles (GARHWAL RIFLES) on 30 December 2015.
+When Watson finally fell with two deliveries to go for 80 (59b, 8x4, 6x4), Chennai still needed four. His 51-run partnership with Dwayne Bravo was not enough to see CSK cross the line with Lasith Malinga sounding the death knell by denying two runs off the last ball.
-On 20 September 2018, on receipt of information about presence of five terrorists in general area at Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, Operation Shokbaba was launched by the battalion under Major Amit Kumar Dimri. The officer's meticulous planning ensured establishment of a compact tight cordon with no escapes routes. On 20 September 2018, the officer personally led the initial search of target complex exposing himself to grave danger and established first contact with terrorists. The officer ensured elimination of two escaping terrorists and trapping of remaining three terrorists inside a single cowshed. On 21 September after elimination of two more terrorists, Major Amit Kumar Dimri closed in with the cowshed using bullet proof shields under direct fire of the terrorists and using an improvised explosive device created a breach in the wall. Major Amit Kumar Dimri charged inside the cowshed through the breach. The terrorist jumped out and tried to escape. However, the officer pursued and eliminated him at extremely short range in close quarter battle.
+The start was just as exciting as the finish after the Mumbai skipper had no hesitation to bat first. But if Mumbai’s 149 for eight was a start-stop affair, Chennai had not reckoned with Mumbai’s bowling arsenal that slowly tilted the scales in their favour by choking runs in the middle.
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: MAJOR IMLIAKUM KEITZAR'''
+Faf du Plessis was the initial aggressor, while Shane Watson took his time, but with Suresh Raina running out of luck, Ambati Rayudu coming a cropper and skipper MS Dhoni run-out going for a second on an overthrow, Mumbai cleverly wrested the initiative through Chahar’s excellent returns of one for 14, which included 13 dot balls and just one boundary.
-''4TH BATTALION THE 4TH GORKHA RIFLES''
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Cricket|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
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+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:India|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
-Major Imliakum Keitzar was tenanting appointment of Ismali-Di-Deri Company Commander on Line of Control at Keran Sector of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. He successfully led “OPERATION REKHA” in which he showed exemplary tactical acumen and courage beyond the call of duty.
+=2020=
+==Mumbai Indians win fifth title==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2020%2F11%2F11&entity=Ar02521&sk=AE39F817&mode=text  Gaurav Gupta, November 11, 2020: ''The Times of India'']
-On 09 June 2018, Major Keitzar went in pursuit of terrorists hiding in the inhospitable and snow bound terrain, crawled in the steep and rugged High Altitude terrain ahead of fence and closed in on to terrorists exposing him to their heavy volume of fire. The officer showed extraordinary valour by eliminating three terrorist all by himself one after the other risking his life, time and again beyond the call of duty. The officer killed the first terrorist by closing in on to him and firing Multiple Grenade Launcher at close range. The officer further moved tactically towards the second terrorist and showing his raw courage shot him on his head risking his life to the terrorist‟s spray of bullets. Sensing the presence of yet another terrorist he endangered his life yet again and eliminated the third terrorist.
+[[File: Scoreboard, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, IPL- 2020.jpg|Scoreboard, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, IPL- 2020 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2020%2F11%2F11&entity=Ar02521&sk=AE39F817&mode=text  Gaurav Gupta, November 11, 2020: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-For displaying courage, selfless devotion, leadership and conspicuous gallantry, Major Imliakum Keitzar is awarded „SHAURYA CHAKRA’.
+[[File: Mumbai Indians' five IPL titles, 2013-2020.jpg|Mumbai Indians' five IPL titles, 2013-2020 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2020%2F11%2F11&entity=Ar02521&sk=AE39F817&mode=text  Gaurav Gupta, November 11, 2020: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
+Is he really injured? If this final was something of a ‘fitness test’ for Rohit Sharma, the star opener passed it with flying colours. Rested from the Indian team’s white-ball leg for the impending tour to Australia due to a rather mysterious hamstring injury which has caused big controversy, the Mumbaikar churned out a captain’s knock, cracking 68 (51b, 5x4, 4x6) to lead the Mumbai Indians to their fifth Indian Premier League title, as they downed the Delhi Capitals by five wickets in a onesided final in Dubai.
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: MAJOR ROHIT LINGWAL'''
+Unleashing his trademark front-foot pulls off the fast bowlers and smashing the spinners down the ground with characteristic ease, Rohit seemed intent on making a simple point he made when he returned from his injury to play for MI: ‘I’m fit and fine.’ He perished to a superb diving catch by substitute fielder Lalit Yadav at deep midwicket while trying to hook Anrich Nortje, but the job was done by then.
-''9TH BATTALION THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT (SPECIAL FORCES)''
+Towards the end, MI suffered a couple of more hiccups when Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya went out cheaply but Ishan Kishan (33 not out, 19b, 3x4, 1x6) continued his fabulous form to take MI home.
-Major Rohit Lingwal was deployed along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir for conduct of counter infiltration operations. He meticulously developed intelligence network with respect to activities of terrorist outfits.
+It was title No. 5 for ‘Captain Rohit,’ and his sixth as a player in the IPL. A decade back, MI had, for the only time, lost an IPL final while chasing against CSK, but this time, chasing just 157, they didn’t falter again, managing to defend the title successfully. It’s the first time that MI have won a crown in an even year. In what has been a magnificent campaign for them, MI came up with another dominant display in the final, beating the Capitals for the fourth time this season.
-Major Rohit Lingwal was able to obtain intelligence about likely reconnaissance activity of a hardcore terrorist. The terrorist was to lead a group for conduct of a major attack on own post on the line of control. Maj Lingwal led his troop through mine fields ahead of own defences and laid multiple ambushes for protracted period. In July 2018, he took his party out towards the Line of Control for a long duration operation. His team remained in hide, without any signature of their presence. One afternoon, he observed terrorists approaching own posts. He alerted his troop and started closing in towards the terrorist. Displaying outstanding field craft and nerves of steel, he maintained surprise till the end and soon had a close firefight with the terrorists. Unmindful of the volley of bullets and grenades, Major Rohit Lingwal crawled towards the terrorists and the terrorist leader was shot dead at close quarters. His action thwarted a major hostile action on own troops.
+Earlier, skipper Shreyas Iyer (65 not out, 50b, 6x4, 2x6) and Rishabh Pant (56 not out, 38b, 4x4, 2x6) struck form, digging the Capitals out from a deep hole when they had slipped to 22 for three by just the fourth over, but MI still managed to restrict them to 156 for seven.
-For displaying most conspicuous gallantry, outstanding leadership and meticulous planning and perseverance, in eliminating the hardcore terrorist leader, Major Rohit Lingwal is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA.”
+Showing commendable fightback, Iyer and Pant dug in to add 96 in 69 balls for the fourth wicket to bail their team out of crisis and breathe some life into the summit clash. However, pulling things back brilliantly, MI conceded merely 38 in the final five overs to gain the upper hand.
+For the eight time in this IPL, Man of the Match Trent Boult provided a breakthrough in the first over for MI when he had Marcus Stoinis caught behind off the very first ball of the match, the first such instance in an IPL final. Boult struck again when Ajinkya Rahane was caught down the legside for just two in the third over.
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: CAPTAIN ABHAY SHARMA, SENA MEDAL'''
+The Capitals suffered their biggest blow when talismanic batsman Shikhar Dhawan (15) missed a slog sweep off off-spinner Jayant Yadav to be castled for just 15. It’s not often that you see Dhawan mess up that stroke, but then whatever MI have touched this time has turned into gold.
-''FIRST BATTALION THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT (SPECIAL FORCES)''
+=2021=
+==The entire list==
+[https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-2021-full-squad-lists-of-all-eight-teams/articleshow/81104041.cms  February 19, 2021: ''The Times of India'']
-Captain Abhay Sharma, SM was the party commander tasked to undertake patrolling against enemy Border Action Team along Line of Control in Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir.
-On 21 April 2018, Captain Abhay Sharma, SM led a patrol along the Line of Control. At 1310 hours, own patrol spotted movement of 10 uniformed enemy personnel carrying weapons and moving towards own post Spur Forward. He quickly deployed his party in two locations and at opportune time he along with his buddy opened fire and neutralised two enemy personnel. Displaying exceptional battle craft, he provided cover fire enabling his buddy to disengage and move to safety. Thereafter, displaying exemplary junior leadership he crawled under support fire of his buddy and shot down another enemy regular at close range. Once under effective fire from enemy posts, he sensed grave danger to entire party and directed fire of five C-90s and destroyed three bunkers. Exhibiting composure and exceptional tactical acumen under heavy enemy fire, he successfully executed the ambush, destroyed three bunkers, recovered enemy weapon and ensured safe extrication without any casualty.
+'''IPL 2021: Full squad, players list of all eight teams'''
-For displaying conspicuous gallantry, unmatched professionalism and resolute leadership in face of enemy, Captain Abhay Sharma, SM is awarded „SHAURYA CHAKRA‟.
+NEW DELHI: Every year, the IPL Player Auction brings with it a lot of excitement and thrill. Franchisees splurge large sums of money to seal a deal, while some players fail to find a bidder.
+In the IPL 2021 Player Auction, South African all-rounder Chris Morris made headlines by becoming IPL's most expensive buy of all time. Morris was fetched by Rajasthan Royals for a mammoth Rs. 16.25 crore. Meanwhile Krishnappa Gowtham became the highest uncapped Indian buy of all time. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs. 9.25 crore.
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: CAPTAIN ABHINAV KUMAR CHOUDHARY'''
+Here's the full squad list of all eight IPL teams after the squads for the 2021 edition were finalised:
-''THE CORPS OF SIGNALS / 21STBATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES''
+'''DELHI CAPITALS '''
-Captain Abhinav Kumar Choudhary is serving with 21 Rashtriya Rifles (GUARDS) since 24 February 2018.
+Shreyas Iyer (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings
-On 07 August 2018, based on specific technical intelligence regarding presence of infiltrating group in General Area Liddar Panzal at Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, operational teams of 21 Rashtriya Rifles (GUARDS) and 9 Parachute Regiment were inducted for close cordon and surveillance of area during inclement weather. At 0950 hours on 08 August 2018, on being alerted regarding move of five terrorists, he displayed tactical acumen and leadership and taking advantage of inclement weather and low visibility quickly readjusted both teams to prevent escape of terrorists. After visually confirming and positively identifying of the terrorists, the officer and his buddy opened heavy volume of fire on terrorists. In the ensuing firefight, the officer displayed nerve of steel and unmindful of his personal safety, closed in with the terrorists which were hiding behind a boulder and eliminated one unidentified foreign terrorist on his own. The officer, thereafter, exercised effective command and control and ensured strict fire discipline which facilitated elimination of all five foreign Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists subsequently.
+'''MUMBAI INDIANS'''
-For displaying exceptional courage, grit and valour, Captain Abhinav Kumar Choudhary is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA”.
+Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Anmolpreet Singh, Aditya Tare (wk), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar
+'''CHENNAI SUPER KINGS'''
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: LANCE NAIK AYYUB ALI'''
+Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Robin Uthappa, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, R. Sai Kishore, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, KM Asif, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Harisankar Reddy, K. Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishanth
-''THE RAJPUTANA RIFLES / 9TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES''
+'''PUNJAB KINGS'''
-On 15 Sep 2018, a group of five heavily armed terrorists were cordoned in a house by 9 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion. Lance Naik Ayyub Ali was a part of the cordon, occupying a position covering the most likely escape route.
+KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen , Saurabh Kumar
-At 0050 hours, terrorists tried to break the cordon by using grenades and heavy volume of fire. Due to their indiscriminate firing two of our men were wounded. Lance Naik Ayyub Ali, on seeing his comrades hit, came out from cover and engaged one of the escaping terrorists. With complete disregard to his own safety, he brought down accurate fire onto the terrorist and eliminated him at very close range. This terrorist was later identified as a dreaded terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He thereafter continued to engage the remaining terrorists and enabled evacuation of wounded personnel to a safe location.
+'''KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS'''
-His unflinching bravery and indomitable spirit directly resulted in killing of a terrorist and the safe evacuation of two wounded men. For this remarkable display of cold courage and camaraderie under fire, Lance Naik Ayyub Ali is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA.”
+Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Rinku Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun CV, Kuldeep Yadav, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi
+'''SUNRISERS HYDERABAD'''
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA: SEPOY AJAY KUMAR'''
+David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
-''THE MECHANISED INFANTRY / 42ND BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES (POSTHUMOUS)''
+'''RAJASTHAN ROYALS'''
-On 24 April 2018, Sepoy Ajay Kumar of Ghatak Platoon was deployed as Scout in the initial search during Operation Lam Forest at Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.
+Sanju Samson (c&wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh
-At approximate 0640 hours on 24 April 2018, the battalion Ghatak Platoon started search for likely hideout area. While the parties were approaching the area, Sepoy Ajay Kumar and Sepoy L Roshan Kom performing the duties of scouts of Battalion Ghatak Platoon drew heavy volume of fire from terrorists. The scouts retaliated and were engaged with grenades by the terrorists. Sensing grave danger to his party Sepoy Ajay Kumar deliberately depriving himself of cover and displaying raw courage and nerves of steel, fired back on the terrorist enabling his team to move to cover without sustaining any injury. In this engagement Sepoy Ajay Kumar eliminated a hardcore terrorist of Jaish-e-Mohammad (Foreign Terrorist) Commander in South Kashmir, Category A++ while sustaining gunshot wound on the head in the process.
-For displaying courage, exceptional valour and presence of mind in extreme challenging condition to neutralise the terrorist and safeguard his team. For this act of unparalleled gallantry, Sepoy Ajay Kumar is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA (POSTHUMOUS)”.
+'''ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE '''
+Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Philippe (wk), AB de Villiers (wk), Pavan Deshpande, Washington Sundar, Daniel Sams, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kyle Jamieson, Daniel Christian, Suyash Prabhudessai, KS Bharat
-'''SHAURYA CHAKRA SAPPER MAHESH HN'''
+[[Category:Cinema-TV-Pop|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
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+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Law,Constitution,Judiciary|I INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
+[[Category:Pages with broken file links|INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)
+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
-''THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS / 44TH BATTALION THE RASHTRIYA RIFLES''
+==The auction==
+[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2021%2F02%2F19&entity=Ar02208&sk=3377750F&mode=text  Prasad.RS, February 19, 2021: ''The Times of India'']
-On 03 August 2018 based on input of presence of terrorists, a cordon and search operation was launched at a village in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Sapper Mahesh HN with his indepth knowledge of terrain guided his team to lay a quick, effecitve and timely cordon thus cutting off all routes of escape of terrorists.
+[[File: How the IPL franchises stack up, 2021.jpg|How the IPL franchises stack up, 2021 <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2021%2F02%2F19&entity=Ar02208&sk=3377750F&mode=text  Prasad.RS, February 19, 2021: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-At around 2100 hours, his position came under heavy fire from five terrorists and the terrorists attempted to escape from that direction. Sapper Mahesh HN and his buddy in a fearless and gallant action engaged the terrorists in an intense and close firefight. In this daring action, he assisted in neutralisation of one terrorist and in seriously injuring another, and forced the surviving terrorists back inside the compound of a house. Next morning when his team was engaged in an intense firefight by terrorists, a terrorist in a desperate bid to escape, fired indiscriminately towards Sapper Mahesh. With nerves of steel and indomitable courage, Sapper Mahesh, blocked the terrorist and neutralised him in an intense close quarter battle. The slain terrorist was later identified as a dreaded terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Shopian.
+[[File: IPL auction, history, as in February 2021- Morris becomes most expensive buy in IPL auction history.jpg|IPL auction, history, as in February 2021- Morris becomes most expensive buy in IPL auction history <br/> From: [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2021%2F02%2F19&entity=Ar00317&sk=0F36DDC1&mode=image  February 19, 2021: ''The Times of India'']|frame|500px]]
-For displaying indomitable spirit, presence of mind, exemplary initiative and unparalleled courage, resulting in neutralisation of a dreaded terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba, injuring another terrorist and assisting in neutralisation of other terrorists, Sapper Mahesh HN is awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA”.
+PAY DAY FOR ALLROUNDERS
-==Independence Day/ The awardees==
+RR Break Bank For Morris; Maxwell And Jamieson Fetch Big Money Too
-[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F08%2F15&entity=Ar02001&sk=A1587FDA&mode=text  August 15, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
-Post-Pulwama strikes earn Air Force rich awards haul
-Wing Commander Abhinandan Leads Pack With Vir Chakra
+Chennai:
-New Delhi:
+With millions flying around the room, you wouldn’t expect social media to go into overdrive over a Rs 50 lakh or a Rs 20 lakh buy.
+But then, while Cheteshwar Pujara is an emotional favourite of many after his heroics in Test cricket, Arjun Tendulkar’s inclusion in the IPL auction list had become a point of debate. So, when Pujara finally got an IPL team — Chennai Super Kings — after seven years, the entire auction room applauded the gesture. “It was a mark of respect for all that Pujara has done for India,” a CSK official told TOI.
-The audacious pre-dawn air strikes on a Jaish-e-Muhammed facility at Balakot and the subsequent skirmish between Indian and Pakistani fighters have garnered a dozen medals for the IAF this Independence Day, with Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman leading the pack with a Vir Chakra, the third highest gallantry medal awarded during war or “in the face of the enemy”.
+Arjun, on the other hand, was the last pick of the day as Zaheer Khan quietly raised the baton to have team mentor Sachin Tendulkar’s son in the set-up after two T20 game for Mumbai.
-In the Independence honours’ list, Sapper Prakash Jadhav (posthumously) from the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and CRPF deputy commandant Harshpal Singh were awarded the Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry award, for “conspicuous bravery beyond the call of duty” during fierce encounters with terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. There were also 14 Shaurya Chakras in the list, eight from the Army, one from the Navy, two from CRPF and three police officials.
+But before that, a few familiar stories played out. South African allrounder Chris Morris, with 34 runs and 11 wickets from nine games in IPL-13 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, broke all records to become the highest-paid player of the IPL. Rajasthan Royals, looking to rebuild again, paid 16.25 cr, edging out Punjab Kings in a bidding war. Morris’ price tag went past the Rs 16 cr record that was paid by RCB for Yuvraj Singh in 2015.
-Apart from Wing Commander Varthaman, the IAF gallantry list included Vayu Sena Medals for the five Mirage-2000 pilots who successfully struck the JeM facility with Spice-2000 penetration bombs after crossing the Line of Control in the early hours of February 26.
+“We spoke to Morris before the auction and did a medical review to see if he can last the season. He’s in a bubble now in South Africa and about to play the domestic competition. He will play an important role for us in all phases of the game. He can win us the game with the bat as well and the ball,” said Jake Lush McCrum, RR’s COO. But then, that’s the reason RCB paid Rs 10 cr last time for the 33-year-old, but without much reward.
-They are Wing Commander Pranav Raj, Squadron Leaders Rahul Basoya, Pankaj Arvind Bhujade, B Karthik Narayan Reddy and Shashank Singh. The commanding officer of a Jaguar squadron, Group Captain Saumitra Tamaskar, who was also part of the overall mission, was also awarded Vayu Sena Medal (gallantry). The IAF says the penetration warheads hit five of the six “designated mean points of impact” on the buildings within the JeM facility to achieve “complete and total strategic surprise”.
+The auction lived up its tag of being allrounders’ ticket to big money. New Zealand’s Kylie Jamieson was bought for Rs 15 crore by RCB. He had scored a couple of 40s against India in Test matches in 2020 and gave Virat Kohli & Co a difficult time with his pace and bounce. Kohli must have taken a note of that and with Kiwi Mike Hesson as the coach, the decision was made to bring him in.
-A woman ground-based fighter controller, Squadron Leader Minty Aggarwal, who showed exceptional alertness and presence of mind to vector the IAF fighters scrambled to intercept the “strike package” of intruding Pakistani jets a day after the Balakot airstrikes, in turn, has been awarded a Yudh Seva Medal for “distinguished services” during wartime. Four other IAF officers who were part of the planning process for the Balakot strike have also been awarded the same medal.
+There was another usual suspect — Glenn Maxwell — who went for Rs 14.25 crore without hitting a single six in the last edition of the IPL in UAE for Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab). But on paper, he is one who can contribute handsomely both with the bat and ball, and that’s what led to a bidding war between CSK and RCB. CSK, quite uncharacteristically went till Rs 14 cr mark for the player, but then gave up as Kohli’s franchise looked for “impact players”.
-Squadron Leader Aggarwal, positioned at a radar hu b in Barnala, constantly updated the IAF fighters during the dogfight, while also alerting them to the presence of F-16s armed with AIM-120C advanced medium-range airto-air missiles (AMRAAMs).
+CSK, desperate for spin-bowling allrounders, made two smart buys in the form of Moeen Ali (Rs 7 cr) and K Gowtham (Rs 9.25 cr). Gowtham became the highest-paid Indian at the auction. “Moeen can be an opener option too while Gowtham will fill two vacant spots — Kedar Jadhav and Harbhajan Singh,” a source said.
-In the aerial skirmish, with three to four Pakistani jets intruding 6-7km inside Indian airspace, Wing Commander Varthaman in his older MiG-21 shot down a much more advanced F-16 with an R-73 missile by chasing it across the LoC, before he himself was shot down, captured by the Pak army and subsequently released on March 1.
+Another big-money buy was Australian pacer Jhye Richardson by Punjab Kings for Rs 14 cr. They needed a pace-bowling partner for Mohammad Shami after releasing Sheldon Cortrell following a hammering by Rahul Tewatia in one of the games last season. “We knew there would be competition for Richardson but we have the team we required,” team owner Preity Zinta, who also acquired England opener Dawid Mallan for Rs 1.5 cr, said. Punjab also got Tamil Nadu batsman Shahrukh Khan (Rs 5.4 cr), who was extremely impressive in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
-Varthaman, who became famous when footage of him putting up a brave front in captivity in Pakistan emerged, has now recovered from his injuries and will soon take to the skies in a fighter after undergoing the mandatory ground-based tests.
+The KKR table, which attracted eyeballs due to the presence of SRK’s son Aryan and Juhi Chawla’s daughter Jhanvi, brought Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan back in the team for Rs 3.25 cr along with veteran offie Harbhajan Singh for his base price of Rs 2 cr. MI, on the other hand, had Nathan Coulter Nile and Jimmy Neeham back as their medium-pace back-up for Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. SRH picked up Kedar Jadhav for Rs 2 cr late in the day to add some experience to their middle-order.
-The Shaurya Chakras have been awarded posthumously to Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal (Engineers/RR), Lance Naik Sandeep Singh (Para-Special Forces), Sepoy Brajesh Kumar (Punjab Regiment/RR), Sepoy Hari Singh (Grenadiers/RR), Rifleman Shive Kumar (JAKLI/ RR) and Ashiq Hussain Malik (special police officer, J&K).
+Delhi Capitals, too, quietly brought Steve Smith into their line-up for a mere Rs 2.2 crore.
-The other Shaurya Chakra awardees are Lt-Colonel Ajay Singh Kushwah (J&K Rifles/RR), Captain Mahesh Kumar Bhure (Engineers/RR), Rifleman Ajveer Singh Chauhan (Garhwal Rifles), Amit Singh Rana (Navy), Constable Sable Dneshwaryan Shriram (CRPF), Constable Zaker Hussian (CRPF) and Head Constable Subash Chander (J&K).
+''' ‘Pujara a back-up for Raina’ '''
-[[Category:Defence|G
+Pujara’s return to the IPL fold was celebrated by most but there were voices who felt the Test specialist would have been better off playing County instead of sitting on the reserve-bench of CSK for two months. But it’s understood that CSK had a plan in place to get Pujara in and it was not just about respect for the stalwart. “He is a back-up for Suresh Raina, who hasn’t played cricket in a while,” a source said.
-GALLANTRY AWARDS (DEFENCE): INDIA]]
-[[Category:India|G
-GALLANTRY AWARDS (DEFENCE): INDIA]]
-[[Category:Name|ALPHABET
-GALLANTRY AWARDS (DEFENCE): INDIA]]
-=See also=
+The fact that Dhoni wants players who are used to taking pressure is another reason behind Pujara’s inclusion in the squad.
-[[Gallantry Awards, India: 2017]]
-[[Param Vir Chakra]]
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+INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (IPL)]]
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Gallantry Awards (defence): India, Indian Premier League (IPL)

Revision as of 11:00, 25 June 2021

Contents

History

Established in 2008

2008: the beginnings

The results of the finals

Impact on cricket in India

Records

2008-18/ Captains, stars who dropped themselves from the team

An overview, 2008-19

The greatest players, 2008-19

The most memorable matches, 2008-19

Indian Premier League: The economics of

Advertising revenues

Coaches in IPL

As in Nov

Controversies: 2008-16

Spot fixing case: 2013

Dhoni on the suspension of Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals

The IPL numbers

IPL broadcast rights

IPL title rights

2017-22: Vivo pays Rs 2,199 crore

Valuation of the IPL

2014-19

IPL jinxed for team owners?

YEAR-WISE HISTORY

2013-14

2016

2017

Players retained and offloaded

The 2017 auctions

The surprise omissions of Feb 2017

The surprise omissions of Feb 2017/ 2

2017/ IPL- 10

Did high player salaries result in success?

2018

The auction

The main deals/ 1

Highlights

Players sold/ 1

The main deals/ 2

Most expensive uncapped players

Lesser known players selected in 2018

The youngest, the oldest, average age

IPL business model

Future

The finals (graphic)

The best batsmen, bowlers IPL 2018

The best performers/ first 30 games

November: Extension, retention and dropping of players

2019

The main deals at the auction

Teams in the final

MI win the title

2020

Mumbai Indians win fifth title

2021

The entire list

The auction

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