The good, the bad and the ugly of the IPL

TRP-hungry TV shows, masala news debates, scripted reality shows step aside – it’s time for a cocktail of all three. Yes, IPL is back and the cricketing world is abuzz with festive cheer. So, as we join these celebrations and gear up to cheer for our favourite teams in the following days, let’s have a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of IPL.

THE GOOD
As the eighty eight warriors from eight teams get set go, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with its amazing win-loss ratio seems to be a hot favourite. CSK’s bright track record evolves from its achievement in making it to the final four in previous seven IPL tournaments. Having won two IPL titles, it has played four finals till date. Of 115 matches played in IPL, CSK has won 69 and lost only 44; thereby, attaining the best win-loss ratio of 1.57.

THE BAD
While they were there in first and the last IPL played, Kings XI Punjab, the Ness Wadia co-owned team has failed to qualify for the final four in 5 IPL tournaments. With a Win-Loss Ratio of 1.10, it has found a companion in Rajasthan Royals in terms of not-up-to-the-mark performance. Rajasthan Royals has won 54 out of 104 matches. However, the only consolation for Rajasthan Royals over its comparison to the bhangra brigade is its victory in the first IPL edition.

THE UGLY
Though Delhi Daredevil has made it to the Final Four thrice, yet its performance had been the poorest. Having lost 59 matches out of 105, it has the lowest win-loss ratio of 0.75. Now with Yuvraj Singh in their court, Delhi finally aspires to hit a home run, something that IPL followers are also looking forward to this season.

KNOCK(OUT) STAR
With power and panache being their sole mantra, Kolkata Knight Riders have always been the IPL queen bee. Having raised the trophy twice in 7 seasons, KKR is known for its knockout skills. The achievement is based on KKR’s 77% victory in the final-four stage.

BEST BUY
Ever since the IPL was conceptualized, player auction has become the norm. Though auction rates vary from time to time, this year’s IPL auction has found in Yuvraj Singh an extravagance. Having bought by Delhi Dare Devils for Rs 16 crores, ex Royal Challenger Bangalore, Yuvi has recently made headlines for his venturing to support young entrepreneurs.

The 3 best buys in the IPL this season are: Yuvraj Singh (Delhi Dare Devils) for Rs 16 crore, Dinesh Karthik( Royal Challengers Bangalore) for Rs 10.5 crore, and Angelo Matthews (Delhi Dare Devils) for Rs 7.5 crore.

The lowest bargains this year are: Hanuma Vihari of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sumit Narwal of Kolkata Knight Riders, Akshay Wakhare of Mumbai Indians, Shishir Bhavenane of Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Brainder Sran of Rajasthan Royals. All of these players have been sold for Rs 10 lakh in the IPL auction that happened this February.

However, it’s definitely surprising that acclaimed players like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Shadab Jakati found no takers in the latest season of IPL.

(Statistics courtesy : Wikipedia)

(Image: India Times)