Top players to play in IPL starting today

By Team Bellevision
Bellevision Media Network

New Delhi, 08 April 2011: Even as the country rejoices over the World Cup victory top players from all over the cricketing globe are here to play in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting today. There will be 10 teams, including two new entrants, and 74 matches played over 51 days April 8-May 28.

 

Two news franchises, Sahara Pune Warrirors and Kochi Tuskers, will join the existing eight — reigning champions Chennai Super Kings, runners-up Mumbai Indians, champions in inaugural year Rajasthan Royals, winners the next year when it was played in South Africa Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders.

 

The tournament will kick off in Chennai with a game between hosts Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders with a fair sprinkling of Bollywood pitching in at the inaugural ceremony. The schedule was revised after the election dates were announced for assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.

 

 

The eight original franchises have been allowed to retain four players, three of whom have to be Indians. The retained players have to be from the rooster of registered players for the 2010 edition and their fee will be mutually decided by the stakeholders. A franchise retaining four players will have to pay $4.5 million a year and that leaves it with only $4.5 million to spend on other players.

 

The players retained will be valued at $1.8 million for the first player, $1.3 million for the second, $900,000 for the third and $500,000 for the fourth. New entrants Pune and Kochi have also been allowed to hire four players who were not affiliated with any of the other franchises in the first three editions.

 

 

If a franchise decides against retaining any player, it will have the full purse of $9 million to spend. Also, the franchises can only have a squad of 30 players. The rest of the squad was finalised through open bidding at an auction in January and included young Ranji Trophy players. After prolonged haggling over the format, it was decided that there will be two groups of five teams each and they will play 70 league matches plus four play-off games.

 

A round-robin among the 10 teams would have resulted in 94 matches. Realising that playing that many games would not only reduce spectator interest, but also lead to player burnout, it was decided to peg the number of matches at 74, including three play-off games and the final. The number of league games has been equally divided among the 10 teams.

 

 

Each team will now play seven matches at home and seven away. Each team will play one league match each against four teams of other group and two more on home or away basis against the fifth team selected randomly. The top two teams in the points table will play each other in first playoff (A) and the winners of this game will go straight into the final.

 

The second playoff game (B) will be between teams finishing third and fourth in the standings. The Game B winners will play the losers of Game A in the third play-off (C) for a place in the final against the winners of Game A. The playoff system was replicated from the Cricket New Zealand format.

 

IPL-4 Schedule:

 

April 8, 8pm: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Chennai

 

April 9, 4pm: Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals - Hyderabad

 

April 9, 8pm: Kochi Tuskers vs Kerala Royal Challengers Bangalore - Kochi

 

April 10, 4pm: Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians - Delhi

 

April 10, 8pm: Pune Warriors Kings vs XI Punjab - Navi Mumbai

 

April 11, 8pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers - Kolkata

 

April 12, 4pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils - Jaipur

 

April 12, 8pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians - Bangalore

 

April 13, 4pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings - Mohali

 

April 13, 8pm: Pune Warriors vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Navi Mumbai

 

April 14, 8pm: Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Hyderabad

 

April 15, 4pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Jaipur

 

April 15, 8pm: Mumbai Indians vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala Mumbai

 

April 16, 4pm: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Chennai

 

April 16, 8pm: Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab - Hyderabad

 

April 17, 4pm: Pune Warriors vs Delhi Daredevils - Navi Mumbai

 

April 17, 8pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals - Kolkata

 

April 18, 8pm: Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Chennai Super Kings - Kochi

 

April 19, 4pm: Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers - Delhi

 

April 19, 8pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals - Bangalore

 

April 20, 4pm: Mumbai Indians vs Pune Warriors - Mumbai

 

April 20, 8pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Kolkata

 

April 21, 8pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals - Mohali

 

April 22, 4pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Kolkata

 

April 22, 8pm: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings - Mumbai

 

April 23, 8pm: Delhi Daredevils Kings XI Punjab - Delhi

 

April 24, 4pm: Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians - Hyderabad

 

April 24, 8pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Jaipur

 

April 25, 8pm: Chennai Super Kings vs Pune Warriors - Chennai

 

April 26, 8pm: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Delhi

 

April 27, 4pm: Pune Warriors vs Chennai Super Kings - Navi Mumbai

 

April 27, 8pm: Kochi Tuskers vs Kerala Deccan Chargers - Kochi

 

April 28, 8pm: Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Delhi

 

April 29, 4pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians - Jaipur

 

April 29, 8pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors - Bangalore

 

April 30, 4pm: Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Delhi Daredevils - Kochi

 

April 30, 8pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab - Kolkata

 

May 1, 4pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Pune Warriors - Jaipur

 

May 1, 8pm: Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers - Chennai

 

May 2, 4pm: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab - Mumbai

 

May 2, 8pm: Delhi Daredevils vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Delhi

 

May 3, 8pm: Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Hyderabad

 

May 4, 4pm: Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - Chennai

 

May 4, 8pm: Pune Warriors vs Mumbai Indians - Navi Mumbai

 

May 5, 4pm: Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Kochi

 

May 5, 8pm: Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils - Hyderabad

 

May 6, 8pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab - Bangalore

 

May 7, 4pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings - Kolkata

 

May 7, 8pm: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils - Mumbai

 

May 8, 4pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Bangalore

 

May 8, 8pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Pune Warriors - Mohali

 

May 9, 8pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings - Jaipur

 

May 10, 4pm: Deccan Chargers vs Pune Warriors - Hyderabad

 

May 10, 8pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians - Mohali

 

May 11, 8pm: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Jaipur

 

May 12, 8pm: Chennai Super Kings Delhi Daredevils - Chennai

 

May 13, 8pm: Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Kings XI Punjab - Indore

 

May 14, 4pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Bangalore

 

May 14, 8pm: Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers - Mumbai

 

May 15, 4pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils - Dharamsala

 

May 15, 8pm: Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Rajasthan Royals - Indore

 

May 16, 8pm: Pune Warriors vs Deccan Chargers - Navi Mumbai

 

May 17, 8pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Dharamsala

 

May 18, 8pm: Chennai Super Kings vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala - Chennai

 

May 19, 8pm: Pune Warriors vs Kolkata Knight Riders - Navi Mumbai

 

May 20, 8pm: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals -Mumbai

 

May 21, 4pm: Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers - Dharamsala

 

May 21, 8pm: Delhi Daredevils vs Pune Warriors - Delhi

 

May 22, 4pm: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings - Bangalore

 

May 22, 8pm: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians - Kolkata

 

Qualifier 1

 

May 24, 8pm: First Placed Team vs Second Placed Team - Mumbai

 

Eliminator

 

May 25, 8pm: Third Placed Team vs Fourth Placed Team - Mumbai

 

Qualifier 2

 

May 27, 8pm: Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1 - Chennai

 

Final

 

May 28, 8pm: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2 - Chennai