Indian Premier League (IPL) Format

The inaugural version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has taken off with flying colours. The 2008 edition is half way through. The doubts are over and the tournament is certainly a success and a hit among the cricket-crazy Indian fans.

The IPL Teams
There are, in all, eight teams fighting it out for the glory in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The teams in the IPL are as follows:

1. Bangalore Royal Challengers, led by Rahul Dravid
2. Chennai Super Kings, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni
3. Delhi Daredevils, led by Virender Sehwag
4. Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, led by Adam Gilchrist
5. Kings XI Punjab, led by Yuvraj Singh
6. Kolkata Knight Riders, led by Sourav Ganguly
7. Mumbai Indians, led by Shaun Pollock
8. Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne

The IPL Format
Every team will meet the other team in the IPL league twice, once at home and once away. So, each team will play 14 matches in total. The whole tournament will have 56 matches. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals stage. The winners from the semi-finals will clash in the finals.

What can be changed in the IPL?
With each team playing a substantial number of league matches, I do not see any point in having a knock-out stage in the later half of the tournament. The most consistent team should win the IPL tournament. This can be ensured only by rewarding the top team in the league stage. At the knock-out stage, even a poor team could go on to win the tournament, if they can have two good days. The best team could go home empty handed.

I can understand the IPL organizers thinking as they want a big stage to finish off the tournament. But, at the end of the day, if consistent teams do not win then the tournament would lose its shine. Since this is the first edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), few more changes could be made in the following years. If the knock-out part can be knocked out of the tournament, then it would be great.

Whatever happens, it is very clear that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to be a super-hit for many years to come. Wishing all the best to IPL teams. Special support to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, who are almost certain to make it to the semi-finals stage at this moment.