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Sixers and Spinners: IPL 2025's Round 1 Unwrapped
Hosts Benny and Mayank delve into the exhilarating realm of IPL 2025, encapsulating the fervor of cricket enthusiasts as we reflect upon the remarkable performances witnessed in the initial matches of the season. We commence by celebrating the culmination of our first century of episodes, a milestone that underscores our enduring passion for the sport. The discussion then transitions to notable players, such as Shreyas Iyer and Noor Ahmad, whose extraordinary displays have captivated audiences and promise to impact their respective teams significantly. Furthermore, we explore the implications of evolving batting strategies within the IPL, particularly how the emphasis on high-scoring matches may alter the tournament's dynamics. As we navigate these topics, we invite listeners to consider the intricate balance between batting prowess and bowling finesse, a theme that resonates throughout the fabric of cricket.
Takeaways:
- The inaugural round of IPL 2025 showcased remarkable performances, notably highlighting the exceptional skills of lesser-known players.
- In this episode, we reflect on the significance of IPL in providing a platform for domestic cricketers to shine amidst international talents.
- We discuss cricket's evolving nature, emphasizing the increasing dominance of batting over traditional bowling strategies in the IPL.
- Our predictions for the playoffs suggest a competitive landscape, with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings as perennial favorites for success.
Link referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Freeheat Gear
Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/luxurious
License code: D55JWIKII2WWUUWK
Transcript
From Virat Kohli's MCG 6 against Pakistan to Bumrah's stump destroying Yorker to Ollie Pope, incredible things happen on the cricket ground.
Speaker A:We also get iconic lines off it, like Siraj saying, I only believe in Jessie Bhai.
Speaker A:There are so many incredible moments that cricket fans just never forget.
Speaker A:And now you can wear them on your chest.
Speaker A:Freeheat Gear has launched a line of amazing T shirts and hoodie designs.
Speaker A:Passionate fans in India can order through their website freehitgear.com while fans abroad can use free Hit Gear on the Etsy store to have items delivered to them.
Speaker A:Order now with the code good areas or one word to get a limited time 15% discount.
Speaker A:And you can wear a T shirt like this one right here.
Speaker B:Hello and welcome to the Last Wicked.
Speaker B:I'm your host, Benny.
Speaker B:Thank you for joining us.
Speaker B:I'm joined today by my co host, Mayank.
Speaker B:Hi, Mayank.
Speaker C:Hey, buddy.
Speaker B: about the first round of IPL: Speaker B:Well, there are two things, but first, I wanted to quickly acknowledge the fact that we recently completed 100 episodes of the Last Wicked podcast, which is still.
Speaker B:I still find it hard to believe because I don't know how it's gone by so fast.
Speaker B: We started this back in: Speaker B:We had four co hosts back then.
Speaker B:This was obviously in the middle of COVID and we had a lot of free time on our hands.
Speaker B:So we were, we were doing episodes every week and we were very fortunate, especially in that first year, to speak to a lot of hype, you know, prominent guests, and, and so it's been a, it's been a great journey.
Speaker B:It's been fun, especially talking cricket with you, Mike, and with a lot of the guests that we've been very fortunate to have over the last few years.
Speaker B:What do you feel about us reaching 100?
Speaker C:I honestly had not thought about it at all.
Speaker C:I remember when you brought that idea of doing a podcast, I was like, I guess I've never done an audio platform before.
Speaker C:I prefer to just write or tweet.
Speaker C:And so it was pretty new to me.
Speaker C:Yeah, I'm glad you brought that idea because I feel like people have been really generous with their times with us.
Speaker C:And whether it's somebody like, you know, Arun Lal joining early on, Murli Karthik joined us once.
Speaker C:There have been other people like physios and other, you know, all the various Roles around cricket have had, have given us time and have been able to join us and we hope to bring a lot more of that.
Speaker C:We're constantly reaching out to other writers and support staff, things like that.
Speaker C:So, yeah, I feel like I've learned so much about the game because we were very much focused on, oh, this is, you know, from the outside, you always think, you know, this.
Speaker C:They're getting all of this wrong and things like that and, you know, typical fan behavior, essentially.
Speaker C:But as you talk to these people, you know, there's so much going inside those dressing rooms, inside planning, all of that.
Speaker C:And I, yeah, I've just been very appreciative of everything I've learned and.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Excited for maybe 100 more.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, yeah, hopefully.
Speaker B:And I have to say, you know, we, like you mentioned, we talked to some really prominent guess, but some of my favorite ones have been episodes where we just talked with other fans, you know, not necessarily working full time in cricket, but just passionate cricket fans who are very analytical, whose love for the game shines through in the way they talk about it.
Speaker B:And so we've been able to do all of that.
Speaker B:I don't know how many podcasts can cover the breadth of cricket expertise the way that we have been able to.
Speaker B:And obviously we have not been able to be as frequent as we would have liked because work and life gets in the way.
Speaker B:And at the end of the day, we are hobbyist podcasts, podcasters.
Speaker B:So, you know, we try to do this whenever we get time, but that kind of segues nicely into what we are going to be talking about today.
Speaker B: IPL: Speaker B:We're going to be covering the first round of this new season.
Speaker B:And the hope, or the plan, I should say more optimistically, is that we will be able to do this, you know, every round, after every round is completed or every other week, we should be able to kind of, kind of follow along and see how the tournament is progressing.
Speaker B:I also wanted to just do a very quick shout out because especially for those of you, if you're, if you're just listening to this on audio, you would have listened to an ad at the start of this episode.
Speaker B:But for those of you on video, I don't know if you can see my T shirt.
Speaker B:It says, I am only believe on Jesse Bai.
Speaker B:A very memorable quote from Ahmed Siraj.
Speaker B:And the credit for this T shirt goes to Mike, who himself is wearing a T shirt that I think you should quickly plug your own.
Speaker B:You know what you're doing with the T shirts.
Speaker B:Mike.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So this is an Ashwin T shirt, just has a statistics and says thank you Ashwin.
Speaker C:Which we designed and December to, you know.
Speaker C:Right as he announced his retirement.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think I've just had this idea of, you know, moments in cricket which are really memorable which we as fans never forget and rave about for years and years.
Speaker C:And I've had this idea for a while and I never ended up like starting something until this December when I had a little more free time on my hand and worked with the designer to come up with these items.
Speaker C:And yeah, these are now available all over the world through the website in India and then through the Etsy store.
Speaker C:So yeah, please order, please support and give us all the love.
Speaker B:So we'll be including a link in our show notes.
Speaker B:So do check it out.
Speaker B:And I know that Mike is also open to feedback for ideas for new T shirts.
Speaker B:So feel free to drop that in as well.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B: IPL: Speaker B:We are five days in.
Speaker B:Well actually I don't know if it's five days but we've had essentially all the teams play their first game and we already had a century, some high scoring games.
Speaker B:One kind of tense, not necessarily low scoring.
Speaker B:I guess it's a mid, mid scoring thriller in Chennai.
Speaker B:So much has happened and we are here to break it down, especially these first few games.
Speaker B:So Mike, what.
Speaker B:I know it's very, very early to talk about a lot of these things, but what has caught your eye in these first few games?
Speaker C:I think I've been still trying to just keep up with all the changes.
Speaker C:You know how it happens every three years we get new teams.
Speaker C:I had a friend text me yesterday saying I was supporting Delhi because I love Pant.
Speaker C:And then he realized Pant is now with LSG and not Delhi.
Speaker C:So it's one of those things.
Speaker C:I think we're all catching up to what the squads are trying to remember where all the players are.
Speaker C:You know, obviously people will remember the marquee players, the stars, but the smaller players do move quite a bit and so trying to just catch up with that.
Speaker C:Other than that, I think yeah, I'm just for me, like what I love about the IPL is the opportunities it gives to the lesser known players.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:So what has got my attention so far is Vipraj Nigam, the Delhi lad who helped take wickets and then, you know, scored runs with, with the ball as well, with the bat as well.
Speaker C:He was pretty.
Speaker C:Yeah, it was a pretty interesting mix.
Speaker C:The only thing I'd read about him prior was Just that he's sort of a mix of.
Speaker C:He's kind of like Rashid Khan and Hasaranga mix, obviously lighter version of them.
Speaker C:Not as experienced or not as successful.
Speaker C:Somebody who has capabilities with both bat and lower order, lower order batting and then bowling.
Speaker C:So it was pretty cool to see somebody like that succeed, you know, in their first game.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think that's one I would say definitely stood out to me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Your point about this being an opportunity for Indian like domestic cricketers who, you know, they play almost year round but they really come to the fore during the IPL when everyone is now focused not just from India, but even, you know, fans from outside of India who followed the tournament.
Speaker B:They get to see.
Speaker B:And especially given the abundance of talent for the Indian senior team, a lot of these players, as good as they may be, are not going to get regular opportunities to play for India.
Speaker B:But the IPL is where they're really going to get their opportunity to shine.
Speaker B:So in that regard you're absolutely right.
Speaker B: who obviously he had a great: Speaker B:But it is incredible how big strides he has made because till he was there, the crease like I never doubted that, you know, they would win.
Speaker B:I honestly thought he would somehow managed to win it for, for his team.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So he stands out as one player who I think given that the Indian team is always looking for finishers, if he is putting up these kind of performances consistently, it's going to be hard to ignore him.
Speaker B:Same thing with Shashank Singh who, who last year both Shashank and Ashutosh, because they played together.
Speaker B:We're called the, I think it was called Smashitosh.
Speaker B:It's if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker B:And he, he played well today.
Speaker B:So there are a lot of young, not, not necessly just young, but just cricketers who have slogged hard in the domestic circuit who are getting their due recognition now thanks to the ipl.
Speaker B:But one other.
Speaker B:So I, I'll just very quickly list my top three performances so far that I've enjoyed Now there was like a Ishan Kishan century but it was good.
Speaker B:And we'll talk about some of the factors surrounding these high scoring games.
Speaker B:We'll come to it later.
Speaker B:But for my top three performances, two are batters and one is a bowler which clearly speaks to how the story is already shaping up to be.
Speaker B:So I'll first talk about the bowling.
Speaker B:So long time listeners will know I'm a CSK fan.
Speaker B:I do not apologize for that.
Speaker B:And I might be even a bit partial, but in their game, their opening game versus the Mumbai Indians, you know, there was a lot of attention on Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichendra Ashwin.
Speaker B:But the spinner who took top honors was from Afghanistan, Noor Ahmad, who, Who did a fantastic job not just controlling the run scoring, but also picking wickets.
Speaker B:And, and what I enjoyed, apart from just keeping the bowling figures aside was the way he bowled with control, the way he bowled according to plan, which, it's easy to lose sight of that, especially in ipo.
Speaker B:In the ipo.
Speaker B:And I'm sure he'll be tested on other grounds because obviously in Chennai as a spinner, it's always going to be more favorable to you.
Speaker B:But the bigger challenge for him will be when he goes to grounds like, you know, like in Bangalore, Bengaluru or in Ahmedabad.
Speaker B:Ahmedabad or Hyderabad, you know, all these flat decks, like that's where he's going to be tested.
Speaker B:But it was really good to see him because obviously Rashid Khan has always been the talisman for Afghanistan and Afghanistan spin.
Speaker B:And so they've been really fortunate to be blessed with some world class spinners.
Speaker B:And Norama just now slowly making his mark.
Speaker B:He was good for I think the Titans last few years.
Speaker B:But then this year, this first game for CSK made an immediate mark.
Speaker B:As a CSK fan, I was thrilled to see that he was definitely the bowling performance off the first round for me.
Speaker B:And then the other two, I already mentioned very briefly, Sharma, like I said, while he was still batting, I never doubted.
Speaker B:He just has this presence about him.
Speaker B:He has this aura in his very brief IPL career.
Speaker B:You know, he just has this very calm, like, I can get this done.
Speaker B:Which reminds me a lot of Surya Kumariadu.
Speaker B:So if he keeps it up, we're gonna be in for some treat.
Speaker B:Like just the way he, you know, he didn't like go, you know, smash bang right from the beginning.
Speaker B:He got the rounds rotated, strike, got everything.
Speaker B:And then he was, he made sure he was there till the end.
Speaker B:Of course he was fortunate that Moisher Ma did not get stumped first ball in that last over.
Speaker B:But that was really good to see and I'm really excited to follow him.
Speaker B:And the third one was Shreya Zaire, who in his game today against Gujarat titan, scored unbeaten 97.
Speaker B:What I liked about it was just the confidence and poise with which he played.
Speaker B:Like right from the first ball, he just looked like he was in for A big score he had.
Speaker B:He seemed very carefree, he seemed very comfortable in his environment, like with the new team and putting aside all the hang ups that he's had over the last couple of years, maybe just the crispness and clarity with which he batted today, it was just amazing to watch.
Speaker B:And he's obviously got a few more years that he can play at the highest level.
Speaker B:But if he carries on this form and this confidence, like the Indian team is in for a good time with Shreya Sire.
Speaker B:So these were the top three performances of these first few games for me.
Speaker C:Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker C:With Shreya Sayer, I feel like he's, I think he hit his first ball for a four.
Speaker C:I wasn't able to see the full innings, but just, just that first shot I was like, wow, he's, yeah, the last 18 months he's just been, you know, untouchable.
Speaker C:Like whatever the surface, whatever the opponent, he finds a way to score runs.
Speaker C:And, and the fact that he's only in the India ODI squad, not even in the T20 squad, tells you like the depth of the Indian team.
Speaker C:But, but yeah, I couldn't agree more.
Speaker C:He's, he's clearly like, you know, just continuing with his confidence.
Speaker C:He's clearly a confidence player, has all the skills, whether obviously is known to be a great spin hitter, but he obviously has enough to manage pace and score quickly against them.
Speaker C:Top innings for sure.
Speaker C:I know it's early, but what are your thoughts on the orange gap?
Speaker C:Who's any predictions on that?
Speaker B:Predictions?
Speaker B:Given that only one round has been completed, I'm going to be way off, but I'm sure will revise our privilege.
Speaker C:That's the point of this.
Speaker C:This is, this is fun.
Speaker B:I mean, just based off the way Shreyas are about it, I was like, he's the captain of his team, he's playing, I think, in the top three.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I think he came out three.
Speaker B:So he's gonna get plenty of opportunities to bat.
Speaker B:And if he continues the form with which he is playing, like, yes, he would be the top contender.
Speaker B:I'm gonna stick with Shreya Zaya.
Speaker B:Actually, there are a couple of other people.
Speaker B:There are a couple of other people that I'm thinking of.
Speaker B:Someone like Travis Head.
Speaker B:If he's playing throughout, you know, this tournament.
Speaker B:I don't know what.
Speaker B:He just loves Indian pitches and Indian bowlers and he's going to be facing a lot of them and playing a lot of them in the coming weeks.
Speaker B:So I just feel like he always has to be in the top.
Speaker B:Someone like Gail Rahul always features among the top run scorers every year.
Speaker B:Even though every year he's also criticized for strike rate.
Speaker B:But he gets the runs.
Speaker B:He gets it at his face.
Speaker B:But he gets the runs.
Speaker B:But I'm going to stick with sh just based on the confidence with which he is batting these days.
Speaker B:He just seems more at peace.
Speaker B:And since he's the leader, he seems to have a good backroom staff.
Speaker B:He has Ricky Ponting as coach so he, he just seems to be in the right space of mind and the way he's batting, I think he definitely is.
Speaker B:Based off this first round I would predict that he is going to be the orange champ holder.
Speaker C:Yeah, I, you took my, my prediction away.
Speaker C:My thought was K.
Speaker C:Rahul, you know obviously he's not yet in the tournament and, and Gujarat aren't looking super hot so we don't know if.
Speaker C:Sorry, not Gujarat.
Speaker C:DC aren't looking as hot so we, we don't know if you know they'll get into the playoffs and he might play only 13 games but yeah, I definitely think he's gonna be up there.
Speaker C:The other person I was thinking of is it's gonna be a boring answer.
Speaker C:It's gonna be Virat Kohli because he again bats at the top, bats in the batting friendly venue.
Speaker C:He's in good form.
Speaker C:Yeah, I feel like you know he didn't have an outstanding season last time and he was seventh so I feel like yeah, he's definitely going to be in the top three.
Speaker C:Four for sure.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:What do you think of the purple cap?
Speaker B:So my reasoning is that as the IPL continues to be a very, very batter friendly tournament with the pitches also favoring the batters, you're just gonna have players especially.
Speaker B:Also let's not forget the impacts up.
Speaker B:We are going to have teams every game they come out just not worrying about losing wickets.
Speaker B:They're going to attack, attack, attack right from the first over, from the first ball.
Speaker B:So given that you're going to have batters attacking constantly, you need the right kind of bowlers to induce these mistakes.
Speaker B:And I'm, I always feel that spinners are best equipped to induce mistakes from batters even more than fast boulders.
Speaker B:So given that there are, I mean there are plenty of spinners to choose from but based on the first round, again since we're only going piece for the first round and how we're going to predict this.
Speaker B:Sari Kashore who plays for Gujarat Titans, he seems to be well regarded in domestic cricket and Ian Bishop even mentioned during commentary, like, you know, he.
Speaker B:He just toils every year, but he plays well.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:He has good seasons.
Speaker B:He also his leadership material.
Speaker B:He's captain the Tamil Nadu team and he's been a little unlucky because he always plays in teams where more, you know, prominent spinners take all the attention.
Speaker B:But I think in the last couple of years with Gujarat Titans, he's been able to kind of carve out like a niche for himself.
Speaker B:And you know, in this game today against Punjab Kings, you know, you had chefs Iyer and co go on a rampage.
Speaker B:But somehow he was able to still do his thing, you know, both the right lines and lands.
Speaker B:I mean, sure he did err on a few occasions, but what I like about Psychosure is that he seems to have a good head on his shoulders.
Speaker B:It's very reminiscent of Ravi Chandra Ashwin and you know, Varun Chakravarti.
Speaker B:Like, he just seems to be a kind of person who is always thinking about how to get the batter out rather than just keeping them down or tying them down and, you know, minimizing the run scored.
Speaker B:So I'm gonna go with Saika.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:As an early contender for the purple cap.
Speaker C:That's a pretty interesting choice.
Speaker C:I don't know if anybody would have picked him.
Speaker C:That's pretty cool.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:I will agree that spinners are gonna have a good time.
Speaker C:I mean, they're always top wicket takers.
Speaker C:And the fact that now they have this really odd rule introduced last minute of a different ball available after the 11th over for due, I think that also helps them.
Speaker C:You know, the ball's not going to be a bar of soap that they can't grip it.
Speaker C:So I do think spinners are going to do well.
Speaker C:I'm not sure if psychic sport is going to do that well, but my pick is actually kind of where, you know, you were, you were starting this conversation by saying, hey, it's super batting friendly and all of that.
Speaker C:And I think that in my mind is why Harshal Patel should be up there.
Speaker C:And the reason I think that is, well, one, their top five is just insane.
Speaker C:Like, SRH is going to go out there and try to score 250 every single time, which essentially means.
Speaker C:And they'll probably do it in Hyderabad anyways because the track is pretty flat.
Speaker C:They may not be able to do it in Chennai, for example, but.
Speaker C:But I think what that means is the opposition will be forced to come out, you know, all guns blazing.
Speaker C:And there's enough in that bowling lineup to make sure that there's, you know, runs at the end saved for Herschel to defend when he bowled in the depth.
Speaker C:So I do think he's gonna pick up a lot of wickets with his lower ball and really on flat tracks.
Speaker C:What else is there to do?
Speaker C:A change of pace is really the only option bowlers have apart from nailing a yorker.
Speaker C:But, but y.
Speaker C:Why?
Speaker C:I think Hershel Patel might be among the contenders.
Speaker C:If I had to pick a spinner, I do think Noor Ahmed's gonna have a great time.
Speaker C:As you know.
Speaker C:You picked him already as a performance of the week because.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think Chennai have been pretty smart in their squad construction because they are.
Speaker C:It's not the most exciting squad, but the, the fact is that they're very, very well suited to Chipok and the spinning wicket with Jadeja Ashwin, Noor Ahmed and then, yeah, if you need it, like, even Rachin Ravindra can both spin.
Speaker C:So the ability to have 16 hours of potential spinners on a track like that is, Is quite, quite smart.
Speaker C:And so, yeah, well, we'll see how they do.
Speaker B:I think to the fact about.
Speaker B:I, I just don't know with fast bowlers.
Speaker B:Even though fast might be a bit of stretch for herself at least, you know, given it's two months of cricket and there's going to be a lot of travel, it's gonna be a lot of games back to back, a lot of time spent on the field.
Speaker B:I just feel spinners in general last longer than fast bowlers.
Speaker B:They don't break down as much.
Speaker B:So I don't know if our show would get to play every game.
Speaker B:I mean, I know he has a reputation for the purple cap and, you know, getting wickets, but it'll be interesting to see if he gets to play in every game or if he gets rotated.
Speaker B:Which is why I always feel spinners have a higher chance, especially now going forward.
Speaker B:I know that historically a lot of the time fastballers have ended up as a topic at taker, but again, just the tides are changing with regards to the IPL is just becoming more and more.
Speaker B:I mean, it has always been better friendly, but I think it's just going to a completely new level now.
Speaker B:So I still feel like spinners will have higher chances of taking wickets than.
Speaker B:I mean, if you're talking purely about the charts, the wicked charts, I think it more likely that a spinner will end at the top.
Speaker C:Yeah, let's talk about what you just touched on.
Speaker C:You know, just how the cricket or the type of cricket being played is.
Speaker C:Is shifting.
Speaker C:I Think we saw this last IPL as well.
Speaker C:Yeah, Sunrise scored a lot of, what is it, four scores over 225.
Speaker C:Maybe they already have a 287 in week one in game one itself.
Speaker C:So clearly, you know, there is a lot of, you know, emphasis on batting.
Speaker C:And when I say batting, it's literally hitting out of the park.
Speaker C:Like that's what they're focused on.
Speaker C:They are not necessarily too worried about taking a quick double.
Speaker C:That that part of cricket is going away or that part of 220 cricket and IPL is going away, I guess.
Speaker C:What are your thoughts on the change?
Speaker C:How do you see it as a viewer?
Speaker C:Are you enjoying it?
Speaker C:Are you like, do you think like you miss the 160 games?
Speaker B:Listen, I mentioned this last year when we did like, I think a mid season episode when we.
Speaker B:There was like a phase where almost every game it was like, not just like 200, it was like 220, 240.
Speaker B:And then, you know, it was like 260 in a couple of games.
Speaker B:And it's funny because we talked about that and we were like, you know, this, I guess is the new norm for ipl.
Speaker B:And then I think the next two weeks we didn't see any two hundreds being scored.
Speaker B:But again, yes, I mean, already in this first round we've seen, with the exception of like 2, I think a couple of games, I think we've seen 200 not only being scored in the first innings, but the chasing team comes pretty close to it, right?
Speaker B:Or have actually chased it down.
Speaker B:Personally, I don't enjoy it as much because even like today, there was a point where I, I could see they were scoring the boundaries and the sixes.
Speaker B:But even the commentators were losing excitement.
Speaker B:Like someone hit a six and there was like no excitement in their voice.
Speaker B:They were just like, and it's another six.
Speaker B:It was like when something that comes once in a while becomes the norm, it's not as special anymore, right?
Speaker B:Like if it just seems like an extended highlights package that scoring a four is like as normal as running a two or scoring a six every over.
Speaker B:It's like if you don't score a six, then it's like what happened, right?
Speaker B:But take the game.
Speaker B:Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians.
Speaker B:Now that was a 150 match where Mumbai Indians got to 150 and then Chennai Super Kings.
Speaker B:In the end, it became a convincing win.
Speaker B:But there were points during the game where Mumbai units are really fighting hard.
Speaker B:And that has been the most exciting phase of this tournament so far.
Speaker B:And that the only reason for that is we were not seeing boundaries scored every over.
Speaker B:We still had, you know, an actual contest between bat and ball.
Speaker B:So it was gripping.
Speaker B:I remember, like, till I think it got to just before Dhoni came in.
Speaker B:In fact, it was kind of chance.
Speaker B:It was like, I don't know which way this is gonna go.
Speaker B:Like, Romanians could still sneak in like a two or three run victory here.
Speaker B:Contrast that with the games are over.
Speaker B:200 were being scored.
Speaker B:It was not a question of will they do it.
Speaker B:It was more like, okay, they need 20 runs of the silver.
Speaker B:They'll probably get like 14 or 15.
Speaker B:That's not the same.
Speaker B:And I think Kagiso Rabada made a quote.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker B:I think, I don't know if it was before the ipl, but he just said something to the effect of, you might as well have bowling machines and just call the game batting instead of cricket.
Speaker B:Because it's obviously all skewed towards, you know, the batter's favor.
Speaker B:You don't want that because then it's, it's not fun.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:As a cricket fan, I find myself tuning out when there's just an abundance of fours and sixes because then it's not special anymore.
Speaker B:Give me a good 120, 130 game.
Speaker B:Like, that's just more.
Speaker B:It actually keeps me hooked and now I'm invested in every ball.
Speaker B:Even if it's a dot ball, it's actually more interesting to watch than it flying to the boundary.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's a.
Speaker C:I, I mean, I, I agree with you.
Speaker C:I, I think like the excitement part, I feel like that is obviously subjective.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So you and I agree that, yeah, there needs to be more for the bowlers.
Speaker C:But I would also say that I know a lot of people find like the finish that Delhi had against Lucknow where, you know, they were 65 for 5 chasing 210 and then somehow manage to win that, people find that a lot, a lot more exciting.
Speaker C:That's just the truth of it.
Speaker C:I think the more common fans do.
Speaker B:I find that exciting as well.
Speaker B:But if it happens every game, is it still exciting?
Speaker C:That's my point.
Speaker C:Yes, that's exactly my point.
Speaker C:So I think it's exciting, but at the same time, I feel like there needs to be a variety of conditions and that is something that India has typically been good at.
Speaker C:Like, if you think about Chipok, like, it's been spin friendly.
Speaker C:Kolkata used to be spin friendly.
Speaker C:Hyderabad, Bangalore have been batting friendly.
Speaker C:So we've had these variations and I think this is great because Then every team needs to be, you know, pretty balanced and then obviously do slightly better in their home conditions to get to that playoff and then eventually win.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So yeah, I do think that lack of variation is starting to show, but clearly it's not starting to show from like an Indian fan perspective because stadiums are packed, TV ratings are high.
Speaker C:And I think it's not showing from that perspective just yet.
Speaker C:But I think it will happen at some point.
Speaker C:I think, you know, just shuffling the teams every three years is not going to be enough to keep the interest.
Speaker C:So at some point there needs to be a reversion to say we need slightly better, you know, more balanced pitches.
Speaker C:But the other aspect which doesn't get talked about as much is the boundary sizes.
Speaker C:That needs to be, I'm not saying it needs to be standard.
Speaker C:Like obviously there's, you know, pitches can, like number of pitches are used over such a long season.
Speaker C:So it can't always be, you know, 75 meters each way.
Speaker C:But I saw Ishan kishan hit a six which landed about 10 or 15 rows back and it was 66 meters.
Speaker C:And I was thinking, how short is this boundary if it's 10 rows back?
Speaker C:And so that is another piece.
Speaker C:You know, it doesn't need to be standard, but it still needs to be reasonable.
Speaker B:I mean, I was thinking like, I was like, I was not sure if I was seeing things differently.
Speaker B:I was like, are the bitches smaller or is this the angle of the camera?
Speaker B:Like it just looks weird.
Speaker B:But I mean that, but that's very, it's very clear that the IPL is geared towards what you were talking about, keeping the fans keep coming back for more.
Speaker B:Honestly, when it comes to T20 cricket and the IPO, I think we are in the minority because most fans, right, they want to see sixes and fours.
Speaker B:They don't want it like a low scoring thriller because that in their mind, if they're not like a, you know, like a dyed in the wool, passionate cricket fans who follow the game year round but only come to the grounds during IPL season or watch the games when it's IPL time, they, they don't want those low screenshots, they want to see sixes and fours, they want to party in the stands.
Speaker B:And that's what the IPL wants to market to, right?
Speaker B:These are the people, these are the type of fans that the IPL wants to market to.
Speaker B:Because in their mind IPL is about entertainment and less cricket, less about the cricket.
Speaker B:And this is not a brand new thing.
Speaker B:People, many people have talked about this, discussed over the years, and if that's the way IPO wants to be, it's fine.
Speaker B:And yes, people.
Speaker B:Some people are going to find it, maybe most people are going to find it entertaining.
Speaker B:But my opinion is that it'll reach a breaking point if this continues to be the norm where it doesn't become a big deal anymore.
Speaker B:A team scoring 250, 260, it's not going to be impressive anymore.
Speaker B:And bowlers will just be like, why don't you even care?
Speaker B:I'm gonna get hit for runs anyway, so might as well just turn up and bowl and whatever.
Speaker B:So you don't want apathy to set in.
Speaker B:You want people to continue to improve their skills and try to find a way to turn the tide in their favor.
Speaker B:And so I really hope this game doesn't.
Speaker B:The IPL doesn't continue that way.
Speaker B:I hope they find a balance.
Speaker B:It'll be much more.
Speaker B:It is already entertaining.
Speaker B:It's already more fun to follow the ipl, but all I'm asking for is a little bit of balance.
Speaker B:Give something for the bowlers, too.
Speaker B:It's fun to watch fast bowling.
Speaker B:It's fun to watch fast bowlers knocking the stumps down.
Speaker B:It's fun to watch spinners weaving a web of, you know, mystery and having the batsman clueless.
Speaker B:If you see every batsman connect and send the ball over the ropes, like, it all becomes.
Speaker B:It kind of all blurs into one.
Speaker B:Like, you know, he doesn't.
Speaker B:It is not special anymore.
Speaker B:So I just hope they're able to figure out a balance to that.
Speaker C:Couldn't agree more.
Speaker B:Well, let's talk about.
Speaker B:Obviously, we'll kind of wrap this up quickly because we're going to keep coming back for more and we'll talk more about these teams going forward.
Speaker B:But what are your thoughts on how the teams are coming along?
Speaker C:Yeah, every time there's an auction, it's like we start over from scratch.
Speaker C:Obviously, some teams do a better job of retaining a good core versus others.
Speaker C:So it's always interesting to look at teams and wonder if this new combination is going to work.
Speaker C:And as I was thinking through this before the IPL started, I was looking at each team, trying to figure out what their strengths are.
Speaker C:In my mind, there's three variations of teams.
Speaker C:There's one which are consistently solid.
Speaker C:And those teams, in my mind are, you know, nobody's going to be surprised if I say Mumbai Indians.
Speaker C:So Mumbai Indians is up there.
Speaker C:SRH is probably the other one who have gone with, you know, retained a Good core and, and that top five batting lineup is just phenomenal.
Speaker C:They've, they've added, you know, Shami and Zampa and now partial Patel and of course Pat Cummins bowls.
Speaker C:So there's, there's bowling there to defend those bigger score.
Speaker C:The third team that comes to mind is Kolkata.
Speaker C:Kolkata is an interesting team because again, they've retained a good amount of their core stars.
Speaker C:Surprisingly, they didn't retain Shreya Sayer despite winning the cup with him.
Speaker C:But they've retained a good set of their stars and yeah, they seem pretty solid as well.
Speaker C:Like, you know, just capability wise on paper.
Speaker C:There's very few teams which will confidently say they can, you know, beat Kolkata every day.
Speaker C:So I think, think that is probably in my mind tier one, like those three are probably the best three teams in this IPL or at least in this season.
Speaker C:I'm sure more transfers and other people come in as it goes, but after this auction, those are my top three.
Speaker C:I think the second set is really large because I don't think there's like any.
Speaker C:There's a lot of teams which are really low.
Speaker C:Majority of the other teams fall in the second category, which is there and thereabouts.
Speaker C:So they're probably not as well balanced as the three that I mentioned, but they're fairly close to each other.
Speaker C:And so in that category, I think it's every team but Lucknow.
Speaker C:Sorry, Lucknow fans.
Speaker C:But yeah, your team does not inspire too much confidence.
Speaker C:But really every other team there, you look at Chennai like obviously, you know, really good experience.
Speaker C:They have stuck to their strengths of picking a lot of spinners.
Speaker C:So smart selection.
Speaker C:Stephen Fleming has been with Chennai for so long, they obviously have a formula that works.
Speaker C:I recently read a stat that there's not been two consecutive, never been two consecutive IPL finals where Ms.
Speaker C:Dhoni has not been there.
Speaker C:So that shows like the level of consistency that Chennai has or even Dhoni's team Pune, when he played for Pune for a couple of years, had.
Speaker C:So I think they're there and thereabouts they're definitely going to challenge teams.
Speaker C:Delhi has a lot of flexibility.
Speaker C:A lot of, you know, like think about Akshay Patel, KL Rahul, like these people can bet anywhere they can open.
Speaker C:Well, KL Rahul can open.
Speaker C:Akshar can bat at 4, 5, 6 also.
Speaker C:So there's a lot of flexibility there.
Speaker C:So yeah, there's, there's definitely match winners in that lineup.
Speaker C:Gujarat, probably.
Speaker C:Gujarat feels a little bit less balanced than the two I just mentioned because their middle order Seems a little bit absent.
Speaker C:Their bowling is also very much heavily reliant on Rashid Khan.
Speaker C:But having said that, between Butler, Gil Sai Sudarshan and some of the other, you know, Shahrukh Khan like they have enough to win five, six games.
Speaker C:Like they will come up with one off performances where they're going to single handedly or just together combine and win games.
Speaker C:So they're not as good as I would say Delhi, Chennai, but they're, you know, they're not super far off and in T20s anything can happen.
Speaker C:So they're gonna win the odd game from nowhere.
Speaker C:Punjab I think.
Speaker C:Yeah, under ponting and here looks pretty well inside.
Speaker C:I would put them pretty close to Chennai and Delhi.
Speaker C:I think those three are gonna fight for the fourth spot by the way.
Speaker C:Like if everything falls the way it looks on paper and obviously that's never gonna happen and we're really early into the season but I think those three will probably fight for the fourth spot.
Speaker C:RCB probably falls into that Gujarat category where they are, you know, not as balanced.
Speaker C:I think they're.
Speaker C:Yeah, I know Kunal Pandya started really well and took wickets but generally he's a defensive spinner.
Speaker C:So I, I was like trying to figure out who's going to be their wicket taker and I don't really see anybody in there like yeah, Josh Hazelwood is good, movie is good but they're going to get a wicked a game.
Speaker C:You know, there's nobody who's who you can consider an X factor and their problem has always been their bowling.
Speaker C:So yeah, I think they'll again struggle a little bit to get into the playoffs.
Speaker C:Maybe like sixth, seventh position.
Speaker C:Who am I forgetting?
Speaker C:Rajasthan Royals.
Speaker C:Yeah, Rajasthan is also in my mind in that second tier, probably towards the bottom, closer to Gujarat than to Chennai.
Speaker C:But, but yeah, again they have, you know, all these really talented youngsters who are capable.
Speaker C:Like Jesswell hasn't really if you think about it like Jess Wall has really done well in the Indian jersey but he's only had the odd knock with RR where he's you know, set the world on fire.
Speaker C:So if he does, he has one of those seasons, you never know like they might do better than, than most people think.
Speaker C:So yeah, that sort of puts all of these six teams there and then there's Lucknow where I, I was struggling to see where their bowlers are at.
Speaker C:You know they clearly have some really good batting with Puran Pant Miller's there now.
Speaker C:So yeah, there's a lot of really good batting.
Speaker C:There's ayush Badoni who's done well for them last season as well.
Speaker C:But yeah, their bowling is pretty inexperienced and that kind of showed in that Delhi game as well.
Speaker C:They were defending 210 and yeah, it just didn't happen for them.
Speaker C:And this obviously is a result of a number of injuries.
Speaker C:They have Mohsin Khan who was injured, that's why Sharad Al Thakur came in.
Speaker C:Mayank Yadav is not completely fit.
Speaker C:So there's a few injuries there.
Speaker C:But even when that they come back, it's not the most experienced bowling lineup.
Speaker C:Really the only person I felt who would definitely bowl four overs every time is Ravi Bishnoi.
Speaker C:So yeah, I think for me they are probably going to be the ones that are going to be, you know, holding the wooden spoon at the end.
Speaker B:Okay, so let's summarize that.
Speaker B:Who, who are your picks for the playoffs and your wooden spoon.
Speaker C:So my picks for the playoffs are Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and spoon.
Speaker B:Okay, so I don't particularly share the ex.
Speaker B:I mean I think I agree with three of your picks and again these are predictions absolutely 90.
Speaker B:Sure it's going to be wrong at least for me but my picks for the playoff spots, I think I agree on three of them.
Speaker B:That is Mumbai Indians for sure.
Speaker B:I just feel like for a team with their, they have Mahela Jar with their back as coach.
Speaker B:They have even with Hardik Pandya unavailable, they had the Indian skipper who essentially took over the captain's reign and they have someone like Roy Sharma with all his decades of, yeah, decades of experience and they have a lot of good winning mindset.
Speaker B:They have that winner mentality.
Speaker B:So I know they had a poor season last year but I would be shocked if they had two poor seasons back to back.
Speaker B:So definitely think they should be making it to the playoffs.
Speaker B:Chennai Super Kings for almost the same reasons.
Speaker B:They've also been there, done it, done there.
Speaker B:I think what helps is that Raj Gaikwad now captaining for the second year, he should have gained a lot of experience from last year and he should only be getting better.
Speaker B:Ms.
Speaker B:Dhoni is still around to offer his pearls of wisdom and there, there's a lot.
Speaker B:I mean the one thing that Chinese Rickens can say about more than any other team is because of the sense of continuity that they have, there is some comfort level that players are comfortable, the support staff, they're comfortable working with the players.
Speaker B:That really helps.
Speaker B:So yes it will have the odd poor season here and there but they will definitely make it to the playoffs more often.
Speaker B:Than not.
Speaker B:So again, they have a good strategy in place.
Speaker B:You know, their home base, very spin friendly and they've got some of the best spinners in their squad.
Speaker B:I'll be shocked if they don't make it to the playoffs.
Speaker B:The other two one Sunrises, Hyderabad, obviously they made it to the finals last year.
Speaker B:They did really great.
Speaker B:They still have.
Speaker B:I, I feel like they have almost enhanced that batting power and now it's even more scary.
Speaker B:And I think the bowling also looks a little bit better if Cummins and Zampa can consistently play together.
Speaker B:Obviously Cummins being the captain, but with Shammy in there now, they look a lot more complete than they did last year.
Speaker B:And so I would say they're forget the playoffs.
Speaker B:They're definitely contended for the top two like making it to the final.
Speaker B:So this could very well be their year.
Speaker B:The fourth is where I, I kind of diverge because based on the one game that I saw Punjab Kings actually look like this, it could be their year as well.
Speaker B:They've got, you know, Ricky Ponting as coach, Shreya Zaire as captain.
Speaker B:They've got a lot of exciting batters.
Speaker B:Obviously the bowling looks a little light, but I think similar to Hyderabad, I think their batting can actually power them through most of their games.
Speaker B:Now the simple fact of the matter is that there's no one team that looks perfect or look like they have all the bases covered.
Speaker B:They all have their shortcomings.
Speaker B:So it really is a case of which team can kind of paper over the cracks and do just enough to get to the playoffs.
Speaker B:Because once it comes to playoff, it could.
Speaker B:It literally you have a bad day and you're out, it doesn't matter.
Speaker B:You just, you know, depends on how the team is playing on that given day.
Speaker B:But at least in the league stages, the teams that figure out, okay, these are our weaknesses, this is how we'll cover up for that or how we'll make up for it.
Speaker B:Those teams need good tacticians.
Speaker B:And I think Ricky Ponting, even though he doesn't always have the record to prove it, he does have, he just seems to have a good system to work with Indian captains and Indian players.
Speaker B:So I'm really, I think with Shreya Cyrus captain, this looks like a good combination for Punjab and could very well be the year.
Speaker B:So as of now, Chennai Super King Sunrisers, Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are my picks for the playoff.
Speaker B:The wooden spoon.
Speaker B:You're gonna, you're gonna disagree.
Speaker B:I think it's Delhi Capitals for the simple reason that it's Delhi Capitals.
Speaker B:They always.
Speaker B:I, I know they won their first game, but again, it was due to this brilliant innings from Ashito Sharma.
Speaker B:Are they going to do that every game?
Speaker B:No, they're gonna.
Speaker B:I feel like they're gonna lose more than they win and they're gonna have the occasional individual performance of node.
Speaker B:I'm just not convinced because I don't know enough about Akshar Patel, the captain and how he's gonna.
Speaker B:Because sure, you're going to have your good days and it's easy to lead the team when you have your good days, but he's going to be tested when they're consistently going through a rough patch.
Speaker B:And so that's that little uncertainty for me, that unknown factor.
Speaker B:And there are many teams like this.
Speaker B:I mean, notably Punjab Kings themselves are a good example where you seem to have everything in place.
Speaker B:But due to a combination of injuries to key players, your form spiraling off at the last minute, things can go off the rails very quickly.
Speaker B:And I just get the sense Delhi Capitals are going to grab the wooden spoon now.
Speaker B:Again, I could very well be proved wrong.
Speaker B:And in the next two weeks they'll be topping the charts.
Speaker B:But this is the feeling that I'm getting right now.
Speaker C:The thing is they have such a history that it's really hard to say with confidence that you're wrong because they really do have a history of messing up.
Speaker C:Yeah, we'll see how that goes.
Speaker C:Yeah, we should.
Speaker C:When we come back to the ipl, like last, last episode that we do on the ipl, we should look back and see how right or wrong.
Speaker B:And you're going to see that I was wrong for every single day.
Speaker B:But okay, let's, let's wrap it up because obviously there, there's going to be so much more to talk about.
Speaker B:The narratives will continue to shift.
Speaker B:It'll be interesting to see if batters continue to rule the roost or if, you know, bowling coaches and bowlers figure out a way to stop these rampaging teams.
Speaker B:Because last year it looked like sunrises Hyderabad were like setting the grounds on fire with their batting.
Speaker B:But now it seems like almost every other team has also figured out, well, this is the approach to go with.
Speaker B:So it's going to be fascinating to see if bowlers can find a solution.
Speaker B:Otherwise we're just going to be, barring the Chennai Games games held in Chennai, we're going to just be seeing 200 plus or even 220 is going to look like under par.
Speaker B:So it'll be fascinating to follow this tournament and Mayank, I look forward to catching up with you.
Speaker B:Once each round is complete or every other week, we'll track the IPL and see how it's going.
Speaker B:To our listeners.
Speaker B:We hope you give us feedback.
Speaker B:You're free to give your thoughts, and I'm sure many of you will disagree with my picks, but that's what this podcast is for.
Speaker B:We'll break it all down, so keep listening.
Speaker B:Spread the word about this podcast.
Speaker B:I know the IPL is always a good time to just get into it, you know, reading about it or listening to anything about it.
Speaker B:So do spread the word about this podcast.
Speaker B:Follow us on your social media feeds, and do check out Mike's free Hit Gear.
Speaker B:That's where you know you have the T shirts.
Speaker B:But yeah, till the next episode.
Speaker B:We look forward to meeting you again then.
Speaker B:But for now, we're gonna call it Stumps.
