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IPL Champions: The chances of winning

PUNJAB NEW EXPRESS | September 30, 2020 04:02 PM

Indian Premier League (IPL)’s 13th edition is underway with much hype among the fans. Originally scheduled to begin on 29 March 2020, after a lot of speculations on the season being cancelled, a revised schedule was announced. The Indian government have permission for the tournament to be conducted in the United Arab Emirates. (UAE).

  As cricket enthusiasts place bets on who will own the trophy in UAE this year, take a look at the factors that are behind the winning team’s victory.

 IPL amid Covid-19

The BCCI mandated the IPL 2020 Health and Safety Protocols. They conducted RT-PCR COVID-19 tests on players, support staff, team management, BCCI staff, IPL operational team, hotel, and ground transport staff. All positive cases have had a mandatory 14-day quarantine period after which they also have to record two negative RT-PCR tests. Only then will they be allowed inside the bio-bubble. The IPL Medical Team is working round the clock and monitoring those affected. Their close contacts have also been isolated from other team members.

 Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the worst hit with13 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including two players. Their senior statesman, Suresh Raina has also left the camp citing “personal reasons”. Everything is now back to the game mode.

Teams and their spending habits

 IPL is a game of big money not just because of the sponsors involved, but also because of the whole process of auctions. Since they play a huge role in deciding the team’s success, fans are very enthusiastic about the auctions. However, more spending does not mean a team has higher chances of winning.

Last 12 seasons of IPL validates the above point as almost all the time, the teams, which spent the most failed to win the tournament. Certain players who have shown outstanding performances always manage to be on top of the auctions. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are fan favourites, making them auction-favourites too. They get paid more than 2 million US dollars.

The youth and the experienced

Everyone who is into sports would know that while experienced players important to a team, their age can deter their gameplay too. However, a team with too young players won’t have interesting strategies that experienced player pull from their sleeve, in times of emergencies.

Even an IPL team needs to be well-balanced to deliver the desired results. This is why it is best when the average age of the team is at a stable point.

International quality

There is no doubt that international level players bring a certain kind of flavour to the team that helps them stay on top. Barring once, the team who won the IPL had 15 international level players on their team. At the same time, IPL is a good palace where regional players gain attention when given the opportunity.

Reliability of the parameters

From Mumbai Indians to Chennai Super Kings to Kolkata Knightriders, most of the teams fit in the above parameters the year they won. Rajasthan Royals, although managed to win the championship even when they did not align with the bill specifically. In 2008, they did not have 15 international level players on the team. They also had the team average as less than 25 but won the IPL anyway.

If one is to believe this particular criterion, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings do not have many chances to win this year’s tournament. The former has the most expensive team while the latter has more experienced players. The ‘balance’ is absent for both of them. Yet, cricket can throw a surprise or two.

The predicted champion

All of the points discussed above act as parameters to check the predictability of a team’s win. However, Betway has found a clear winner as per the hints last 12 seasons of IPL gave. It appears that Royal Challengers Bangalore will emerge victorious this time around.

Captain Kohli’s team was often the crux of memes and trolls in almost all the IPL seasons. Yet their loyal fans continue to hype the team every season of IPL. While it is difficult to say if this would be the year where RCB fans finally get justice, the strategy seems to be on the side of the team this time.

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