Champions League Twenty20 Betting – Indian Premier League franchises fail the test
by Juris Graney
To many the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 was a chance for the Indian Premier League franchises to flex their muscle in preparation for the third instalment of their multi-million tournament early next year.
What happened was nothing short of embarrassing.
The three teams, so enamoured with their own image that it would put Narcissist himself to shame, have been jettisoned from the Champions League Twenty20.
The first round of the tournament cut free the dead weight – New Zealand’s only team, the Otago Volts, were summarily disgraced, England’s band of merry men from Sussex felt the same humiliating feeling that befalls a team that fails to win a match at a tournament such as this.
Sri Lanka’s only team, Wayamba Elevens could feel hard done by, their pool was the toughest of the four with each team winning and losing a match, the result based purely on run rates, something to which is almost out of a team’s hands.
The other exiting team was the Adam Gilchrist-led Deccan Chargers, the first of the IPL teams to go by the way side.
Gilchrist’s team of multi-million stars failed to win a match in their pool, their fate sealed with a loss to Trinidad and Tobago in the final round which allowed Somerset, the English country team led by Justin Langer, to leap frog them into the second round.
Following the conclusion of the second “league” stage, in which the eight remaining teams played three matches apiece and resulted in the dumping of a further four teams to leave just the semi-finalists, the last two IPL teams were issued their plane tickets home.
Even if the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Daredevils hadn’t been in the same pool, their fate would have been the same with each team winning just one match each, the other pool’s loser; Diamond Eagles would have dumped them both from the tournament courtesy of a superior run rate.
The result calls into question just how good these IPL T20 teams really are.
One could argue these teams ought to win a tournament which features domestic teams however let’s not forget that these so called domestic teams feature a host of international players.
Take NSW for instance – eight of their 15 have international experience with the all-conquering Australian team. That of course is tempered by less fortunate teams like Trinidad and Tobago who has a team with just five internationals (whose international experience in some cases is just a single match mind you). They of course are two of the semi finalists.
The other semi-finalists, Victoria and Cape Cobras have smatterings of brilliance – the latter featuring Proteas luminaries like Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy, the former Australian one-day stars Cameron White and David Hussey – but the argument stands that the IPL teams have the “best of the best”.
Bangalore for instance features Proteas powerhouse Jacques Kallis and countrymen quick Dale Steyn and keeper Mark Boucher, captain Anil Kumble, Kiwi middle order maestro Ross Taylor to name but a few while Delhi has the sub-continent’s most explosive batsmen in Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag. Their bowling attack is spearheaded by arguably one of the finest fast bowlers in cricket history, Glenn McGrath.
The one thing the IPL teams don’t have however is cohesiveness. Sure they have camaraderie brought about by players all jovial about the size of their bank accounts but that doesn’t build a team unit honed and perfected by weeks, months and years of playing and training together.
The IPL team’s greatest failure is their greatest strength.
Hiring mercenaries to do your bidding in times of war is fine but with no allegiance to the team or their team mates is a failing you can’t make up for with money.
That’s not to say that it hasn’t been fun though.
