IPL 4's and 6's - a farce

[chaminda_00]

There is no doubt that the crowds will be larger than what comes for the first class games and probably more than some test matches on weekdays.

The point is whether there will be enough interest amongst the public and sponsors to make it a profitable venture for the Franchisees.

DLF and Reliance are extremely big and after putting in their returns on their own exposure to the public they may not worry much about losing money but others will need a solid bottom line to sustain their interest. Vijay Mallaya has a penchant for spectacle and will spend lots of money just for the glamour.

PreityZinta may be stupid but her boyfriend and industrialist Nesse Wadia isn't so he will be looking at the numbers very closely. The Deccan Chronicle will be even more conservative.

All this talk about being in it for a the long run is purely derived from the sales talk of Mr Lalit Mody. Whether it will actually be a paying proposition is not such a certainty - it may and yet again it may not.

This is a high risk venture but most will have fixed an upper limit to how much they will put in and for how long before they start tightening the purse strings and look for cutting down the losses.

There was a very interesting article in the Hindu (It was also refered to in the cricinfo article I just posted). This makes very interesting reading.

Just have a look at American sporting franchise though. Most new franchises lose money in the first season. But even those guys who are really keen for a straight profit usually look at things in 2-3 year cycle. There not too worried if they lose money in the first season, as long as they expect to get it back and more after 2 or 3 years.

 

[SJS]

Just have a look at American sporting franchise though. Most new franchises lose money in the first season. But even those guys who are really keen for a straight profit usually look at things in 2-3 year cycle. There not too worried if they lose money in the first season, as long as they expect to get it back and more after 2 or 3 years.

Maybe. And as you can see from my earlier posts, I am not saying they will 'surely' lose money. Its just that I am not as sure as some people that they won't.

I think we have to wait and watch. Whatever has happened so far is no clear indication either way.

Thats all I have to say.

 

[unccricket]

well, since this topic has completely veered off the original - boundaries are too short - to the commercial viability of the IPL, i'm curious to know what are the revenue streams for franchises?

in american sports, ticket sales, concessions make a good chunk of money but so do jersey (kit) sales and television rights.

adidas, nike, reebok and all these companies are sponsoring the kits for most of the teams, what they need to do is widely sell individual player jerseys. the franchies need to strike licensing deals and make some money off fan memorabilia. the problem with this is a thriving counterfeiting industry in india.

surely with how much money is going to BCCI for the TV rights, I really hope that the franchises are getting a cut of the tv money.

The BCCI might be one of the worst organizations around. Where are the profits of the IPL going to go? They should be going to grassroots programs building better cricket infrastructure in India, which will only help the BCCI in the long run. Instead, they fill their coffers and only think short term.

I hope whatever england comes up with uses the profits to strengthen grassroots development of the sport, because that's they way that it is going to succeed and evolve.

 

[Anil]

it is a farce with or without shorter boundaries...they have sucked the essence out of cricket and what is left is 20/20...

 

[SJS]

well, since this topic has completely veered off the original - boundaries are too short - to the commercial viability of the IPL, i'm curious to know what are the revenue streams for franchises?

in american sports, ticket sales, concessions make a good chunk of money but so do jersey (kit) sales and television rights.

adidas, nike, reebok and all these companies are sponsoring the kits for most of the teams, what they need to do is widely sell individual player jerseys. the franchies need to strike licensing deals and make some money off fan memorabilia. the problem with this is a thriving counterfeiting industry in india.

surely with how much money is going to BCCI for the TV rights, I really hope that the franchises are getting a cut of the tv money.

The BCCI might be one of the worst organizations around. Where are the profits of the IPL going to go? They should be going to grassroots programs building better cricket infrastructure in India, which will only help the BCCI in the long run. Instead, they fill their coffers and only think short term.

I hope whatever england comes up with uses the profits to strengthen grassroots development of the sport, because that's they way that it is going to succeed and evolve.

There is another article today froom Pradeep Magazine, one of India's finest contemporary sports writers. Here are excerpts from it regarding the "profits" from the IPL - "tamasha"

.....going by the TV time IPL is hogging, you would think the world is watching nothing else but this slam-bang version of the game, which begins with a Bollywood star show followed by cricket and interspersed with skimpily clad women gyrating after every wicket falls or a six is hit or a boundary scored.

The crowds are filling in the stadia and it is a "tamasha" which has already been proclaimed a super hit, where even the soap operas are struggling to hold viewer interest. We are now even being told that the release of new films is being put on hold as distributors are worried that people may not want to miss their daily quota of IPL action and that would make a film suffer at the box office.

In this great attempt to make IPL appear the biggest success of the century none of us is being told about how the organisers, except perhaps in Kolkata, are struggling to sell tickets and most of the full houses that we watched are courtesy generously distributed passes.

For how long will the worried franchises, who have invested quite a fortune in their teams, be willing to let people inside the stadiums without charging them, is a moot point. At the end of the day, they are all in it for the business of making money and not proving to the world what a great concept this format of the game is and how India has revolutionised the world.​

The complete article

 

[chaminda_00]

I think you find there wont be much talk from the franchises themselves about their own financial situation until the end of the season. So they can get a better idea where they will be placed financially. So it not surprising we not hearing much about this issue, apart from the odd commentator who just trying to find anything wrong with IPL.

Also I don't think crowd figures really indicate how much money a team or league is making. In Australia, AFL crowds are double rugby league crowds, but clubs from both codes make a similar profit. AFL clubs make a bit more, but the difference is no where near the same percentage as the difference crowds. There plenty of other ways franchise make money. Crowds are only a small part and rarely indicate how profitable an organisation is.

 

[SJS]

I think you find there wont be much talk from the franchises themselves about their own financial situation until the end of the season. So they can get a better idea where they will be placed financially. So it not surprising we not hearing much about this issue, apart from the odd commentator who just trying to find anything wrong with IPL.

Also I don't think crowd figures really indicate how much money a team or league is making. In Australia, AFL crowds are double rugby league crowds, but clubs from both codes make a similar profit. AFL clubs make a bit more, but the difference is no where near the same percentage as the difference crowds. There plenty of other ways franchise make money. Crowds are only a small part and rarely indicate how profitable an organisation is.

You could be correct about everything except the odd commentator who just trying to find anything wrong with IPL.

Why do you assume these are people with an axe to grind? These are journalists ding their jobs. Most of those I have quoted are extremely eminent and highly respected writers. Could it be that "you are not willing to even consider a word against the IPL ?"

 

[chaminda_00]

You could be correct about everything except the odd commentator who just trying to find anything wrong with IPL.

Why do you assume these are people with an axe to grind? These are journalists ding their jobs. Most of those I have quoted are extremely eminent and highly respected writers. Could it be that "you are not willing to even consider a word against the IPL ?"

With most things written about the IPL to date, its basically been either someone loves the format or hates the format. There have been plenty of articles from well respected journalist, but not many seem to be not baised to one arguement or the other. It is just one of those topics that seems to be every polarised and not much middle ground at moment, especially in the media.

I actually don't think this trend will stop for a while until we get a greater idea of concept and true impact on cricket. A lot of the things that have been written about the IPL from both sides of fence have been without a great deal of facts or evidence that a trend is going to continue.

 

[SJS]

With most things written about the IPL to date, its basically been either someone loves the format or hates the format. There have been plenty of articles from well respected journalist, but not many seem to be not baised to one arguement or the other. It is just one of those topics that seems to be every polarised and not much middle ground at moment, especially in the media.

I actually don't think this trend will stop for a while until we get a greater idea of concept and true impact on cricket. A lot of the things that have been written about the IPL from both sides of fence have been without a great deal of facts or evidence that a trend is going to continue.

I agree some of these journalists may not like T20. I dont like it myself. But if why would they 'fabricate' 'facts' about crowds attendances and profitability ?

If a respected journalist tells me they are making great profits, I (inspite of my no great love for T20) wont state he is lying.

 

[chaminda_00]

I agree some of these journalists may not like T20. I dont like it myself. But if why would they 'fabricate' 'facts' about crowds attendances and profitability ?

If a respected journalist tells me they are making great profits, I (inspite of my no great love for T20) wont state he is lying.

I'm not saying they are making things up. I'm 100% most franschise wont make a profit this season. I'm sure that a lot of tickets have been given away to make the crowds look full. But those things always happen in any new concept or franshise when things start off.

It just the fact there is no real hard evidence to show they won't make a profit long term or to even say they will. But many articles are stating already that either they will continually make loses. Or the investors have hit a gold mine due to inflated crowds and the preception that the whole of cricketing world has stopped for IPL. It just the fact that they continue to use minor facts to make things sound better or worse then what it is.

 

[pasag]

IPL Under Financial Pressure

Truth is, until James Sutherland sees the IPL team's books and the various business plans of each team, he has no idea what's going on, financially. That headline is just plain rubbish.

Also there's an assumption here that the clubs were bought solely for direct monetary gains ie profit. I'd imagine that some of the owners have bought it as a 'toy' type thing, like you see in MLB and EPL. Also you have things like connections, access to various corporate areas, raising your profile on a global scale that would attract the companies as well. Obviously they'd all like to make money, but the gains for many of the owners, I'd imagine, would be more of the intangible type.

 

[Jono]

Great post.

 

[SJS]

I'm not saying they are making things up. I'm 100% most franschise wont make a profit this season. I'm sure that a lot of tickets have been given away to make the crowds look full. But those things always happen in any new concept or franshise when things start off.

It just the fact there is no real hard evidence to show they won't make a profit long term or to even say they will. But many articles are stating already that either they will continually make loses. Or the investors have hit a gold mine due to inflated crowds and the preception that the whole of cricketing world has stopped for IPL. It just the fact that they continue to use minor facts to make things sound better or worse then what it is.

Fair enough.

Today there is a major article regarding the Bangalore Team owners (United Breweries) being quizzed about surrogate advertising by naming pavilions etc after all their famous liquours besides the fact that Royal Challenge too is the name of their beer as well as a whiskey. For the uninitiated, advertising of liquour is illegal in India.

The United Brewery spokes person came up with the argument that they have every right to use the pavilions handed over to them to recover their investment. He added that they were losing a lot of money in this venture and had every right to try and cut down their losses.

 

[slugger]

speaking about the topic at hand.. I noticed in the ICL comp just been no one scored a century.. here in the IPL in no time at all theres been 4 already and some quite large.. are the ICL ropes further out or are there batsmen just not up to it anymore...


High scores

Indian Premier League, 2007/08 (this is after 4 rounds)

Player Runs
BB McCullum 158*
A Symonds 117*
MEK Hussey 116*
AC Gilchrist 109*

Indian Cricket League. 2007/08 (this is after a completed tournment)

Hasan Raza 98*
Imran Farhat 94
Lance Klusener 91
Rajagopal Sathish 86*
James Maher 84

 

[SJS]

speaking about the topic at hand.. I noticed in the ICL comp just been no one scored a century.. here in the IPL in no time at all theres been 4 already and some quite large.. are the ICL ropes further out or are there batsmen just not up to it anymore...


High scores

Indian Premier League, 2007/08 (this is after 4 rounds)

Player Runs
BB McCullum 158*
A Symonds 117*
MEK Hussey 116*
AC Gilchrist 109*

Indian Cricket League. 2007/08 (this is after a completed tournment)

Hasan Raza 98*
Imran Farhat 94
Lance Klusener 91
Rajagopal Sathish 86*
James Maher 84

Boundary sizes are a major factor - quality of batting at display is another (just look at the names you have mentioned from both sides). I know one can counter that by saying that so is the bowling superior in IPL but its clear that bowling is less of a factor (remember I said less not NILL) in this format.

 

[Days of Grace]

The answer lies in just looking at the quality of the batsmen you just posted in both lists.

EDIT: SJS beat me to it. :-)

Bowling can be a factor, though. Look at the figures that people like Warne have managed. Hell, I even saw a maiden over last night. Didn't think it was possible.

 

[Sanz]

speaking about the topic at hand.. I noticed in the ICL comp just been no one scored a century.. here in the IPL in no time at all theres been 4 already and some quite large.. are the ICL ropes further out or are there batsmen just not up to it anymore...


High scores

Indian Premier League, 2007/08 (this is after 4 rounds)

Player Runs
BB McCullum 158*
A Symonds 117*
MEK Hussey 116*
AC Gilchrist 109*

Indian Cricket League. 2007/08 (this is after a completed tournment)

Hasan Raza 98*
Imran Farhat 94
Lance Klusener 91
Rajagopal Sathish 86*
James Maher 84

Bring the boundries another 50 meteters in and we will 500 runs scored in 20 overs.

 

[Days of Grace]

One day a forward defensive shot will go to the boundary FFS.

When you think about it, Tendulkar's forward prods have gone for 4.

This top-edge pull for six lark is just not cricket.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Boundary sizes are a major factor - quality of batting at display is another (just look at the names you have mentioned from both sides). I know one can counter that by saying that so is the bowling superior in IPL but its clear that bowling is less of a factor (remember I said less not NILL) in this format.

Err no it certainly isn't clear that bowling is less of a factor and I've followed Twenty20 strongly from the start. What is happening in IPL is you see teams with some good international bowlers and some rubbish bowlers. If you have a bowling attack like that of Mumbai Indians yesterday then you throw in one of your better bowlers having an off-day or whatever (as with Pollock) then you're just at the mercy of the batsmen.

 

[James_W]

One day a forward defensive shot will go to the boundary FFS.

When you think about it, Tendulkar's forward prods have gone for 4.

This top-edge pull for six lark is just not cricket.

Can recall both Owais Shah and Yuvraj Singh blocking for 4 in a test.