Franchise planning is the name of the game in IPL

 

 

By Gaurav Joshi

The IPL might occupy only two months of the year but it is clear from the strategies of various franchises that the planning starts a good three or four months before the start of the league.

One of the main components of having a strong team is having a flexible squad. This process is created by the support staff liaising with team owners. That might sounds a logical path with cricketing experts making the decisions on who to select in the auction.

The Indian Down Under  has found out that to reach such a compromise is not as straight forward as everyone thinks.

 

For instance, it is understood the Mumbai Indians, owned by the Ambanis have a huge input in the decisions. The Mumbai Indians have based their priorities on fame. The likes of Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson were selected immediately once the Mumbai Indians felt these players will be the marketable brands for the franchise. Even the coaching staff consists of big names such as Ricky Ponting, Anil Kumble and Jonty Rhodes.

Then there are teams such as Rajasthan Royals who over the past two years under the leadership of Rahul Dravid as a mentor, have to instil and develop young emerging Indian players.   Couple of years ago, even the international players they selected were under the philosophy of emerging international stars, Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and Tim Southee among others. All three are the stand out players in any format of the game.

Add to it the crop of India’s domestic talent of Karun Nair, Deepak Hooda and veteran Pravin Tambe. The Royals’ strategy of long term success seems to place the franchise in a good shape. It is a completely different strategy to that of the flamboyant Mumbai Indians.

The Hyderabad Sunrisers’ strategy is a combination of Royals and the Mumbai Indians. They have tried to blood Indian youth but have lacked the research and consultation amongst which domestic players are the stars.   While team coach Tom Moody may be highly sought after by teams around the world, his requirements of trying to poach the best international players and lack of focus on the Indian domestic players have left disparity in their team.

 

Preity Zinta, the co-owner of the Punjab, might always demand spotlight and has been the face of the franchise. However, she has ensured that all the cricketing decisions are made by the cricketing eternity. It is a wise and clever move.

The IPL might seem like a cluster of T20 matches but it involves plenty of planning and collaboration between the team owners, coaches and players to ensure that the season brings success. The best thing about it is that each franchise has its own ways of going about it.

 

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