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Kent earned the draw that had looked odds-on the night before but could so easily have eluded them once the visitors scented blood during a morning session of pressure cricket that was wonderful to watch

David Lloyd at Canterbury10-Jun-2014
ScorecardDaniel Bell-Drummond was far away from T20 mode during his 257-ball innings of 92•Getty ImagesProfiles of Daniel Bell-Drummond refer to his “aggressive style and lavish strokeplay” – and there is no doubt the young batsman can give it a biff because he scored 59 off 30 balls in a T20 match just a few weeks ago. But, on the evidence of this contest, “bolt-tight defence, cast-iron temperament and appetite for a fight” can be added by way of description.Bell-Drummond’s first-innings half-century was overshadowed by first Brendan Nash and then Darren Stevens, both of whom made run-scoring look relatively easy – but only after the 20-year-old opener had battened down the hatches following a couple of Essex successes with the new ball.On Tuesday, though, no one was in any doubt who deserved star billing as Kent earned the draw that had looked odds-on the night before but could so easily have eluded them once the visitors scented blood during a morning session of pressure cricket that was wonderful to watch.Bell-Drummond, promoted to opener from No. 3 a couple of weeks ago and playing only his 29th first-class match, stood firm and unflinching as Essex struck three times in the space of eight overs while only two runs were added. The contest had reached a real crisis point, from Kent’s perspective, because at 73 for 3 they led by just 20 runs.There was no shortage of chat in the middle and precious little respite. But Bell-Drummond seldom looked like succumbing and, while never able to express himself as he might have wished, his reward was a Championship-best score. The former England Under-19 player deserved a maiden hundred in the competition but was denied that by Essex’s somewhat unlikely bowler of the match, Jesse Ryder, who pinned him lbw for 92 as he moved across his stumps in an attempt to flick to leg.’One of my most important knocks’

Daniel Bell-Drummond knew he was not at his fluent best while making a gritty half-century during the first innings of this match but reckoned that helped him to knuckle down second time around.
“It was tough work today,” he said after batting for five hours and 21 minutes. “I just tried to back my defence, not take any risks and put as big a price on my wicket as I could. I should think that’s the longest I’ve ever batted in an innings so I’m pretty happy with that and it is definitely one of the most important knocks I’ve played because it went a long way towards saving the game.
“I’m disappointed I couldn’t get my first Championship hundred but I can’t really complain. Hopefully the hundred will come before too long.
“Getting through the morning session was really tough – probably one of the toughest sessions I’ve faced as a batsman. I needed a bit of luck but it was a good education for me.”

After nearly five-and-half hours of defiance it was no wonder that Bell-Drummond had to drag himself from the field. But while this innings, like the first, was not blemish-free – he survived a difficult, one-handed slip chance to Nick Browne off Tymal Mills when 26 – there was plenty to be proud about.Essex, too, deserved enormous praise and if any county in the second division pack can make an impression on the current top two, Worcestershire and Hampshire, one suspects it might be James Foster’s men. Here, they came so close to suffocating their opponents during a terrific passage of play after an early morning ball change.David Masters did his bit with a typically accurate spell, which allowed captain Foster to tighten the grip still further by posting two slips, two leg slips and two short legs. But, as in the first innings of this match, it was Ryder who did the damage by plucking out Rob Key’s middle stump, having Sam Northeast caught on the drive at second slip and flicking Nash’s glove.Somehow, the hosts had to break free. They succeeded to an extent with Ben Harmison taking advantage of a couple of short, leg-side deliveries from first change Mills but they still looked far from comfortable. And Bell-Drummond’s reprieve reminded them just how much work was still to be done.In the end, the crucial partnership was one of 86 for the fifth wicket between Bell-Drummond and Stevens. But Kent kept losing batsmen just when they were close to safety, and even their young opener was not quite able to complete the job. Bell-Drummond had taken them near enough, though, and all that really mattered thereafter was a final wicket for Ryder. Having never taken five wickets in an innings, the medium-pacer had now done it twice in the same match to finish with 10 for 110.

A round-up of the Haier Cup National T20 games played on September 24, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2014Group CPeshawar Panthers won their third game in a row, swatting aside AJK Jaguars by nine wickets in Karachi. It was Jaguars’ third defeat in three matches.Things began well for Jaguars, as their openers Raheel Majeed and Imran Arif put on a brisk 51 for the first wicket. Things then went alarming downhill as they lost all ten wickets for 30 runs, left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan causing much of the mayhem with a triple-wicket over that carved up Jaguars’ middle order. Barring the openers, only one batsman, No. 9 Iqbal Akram, made it past 5, and even he didn’t reach double figures, ending on 8*.Panthers had little trouble during the chase, with their openers Rafatullah Mohmand and Israrullah clobbering 77 in seven overs. Mohmand was caught and bowled for 46, with victory only five runs away, before the win was wrapped up in the ninth over, giving Panthers’ net run-rate a big boost.A 53-ball 72 from opener Ali Waqas steered Faisalabad Wolves to a six-wicket win over Lahore Eagles. Chasing 146, Waqas added key stands with opener Farrukh Shehzad and captain Misbah-ul-Haq, before being dismissed with the side on the brink of a win. His innings enabled Wolves to win their second straight game, while Eagles suffered their second straight loss.The Wolves bowlers had made early inroads after putting Eagles in to bat, and had reduced the opposition to 53 for 3 in the 10th over. Most of their bowlers, including Ehsan Adil, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Talha and Asad Ali contributed to the wickets tally before an unbeaten cameo from Hussain Talat, who scored 46 off 33 balls, lifted Eagles to 145 for 6Group DIn another low-scoring game in Karachi, four-fors from Abbottabad Falcons fast bowler Fazl-e-Rabbi and left-arm spinner Kamran Ghulam routed Dera Murad Jamali Ibexes for 83 runs. The Falcons then chased down the target in the 13th over with eight wickets to spare.With four strikes at the start, Fazl-e-Rabbi decimated the Ibexes’ top order and, along with Ahmed Jamal, reduced the side to 36 for 6 in the sixth over. A 41-run seventh-wicket stand between Asif Ali and Imran Khan Rind provided the only resistance before Ghulam skittled the rest of the line-up, taking three wickets of his four wickets in the 15th over to bundle the side out. Fazl-e-Rabbi took 4 for 27, while Ghulam, who was awarded the Player-of-the-Match had returns of 4 for 11. Fakhar Zaman’s 34-ball 44 anchored the Falcons’ chase as they took a two-point lead at the top of the Group D table.

As the Spanish top flight enters its winter break, we look back at the players who have shined throughout this first half of the campaign

Getty1GK: Jan Oblak

Usually so formidable at the back, rotten luck with injuries has seen Atletico Madrid look uncharacteristically vulnerable when out of possession.

Luckily for Diego Simeone's men, they can still count on Oblak, who continues to be near-unbeatable between the posts even without the likes of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez screening him.

The Slovenian boasts the meanest defensive record in La Liga, keeping eight clean sheets to date and conceding a mere 12 goals.

AdvertisementGetty Images2RB: Dani Carvajal

Statistics can be misleading, but Dani Carvajal's importance to Real Madrid is underlined by their woeful record without him.

The right-back has struggled with injury in the 2018-19 season, playing nine of the Merengue's opening 16 Liga games and starting just eight. 

Incredibly, Madrid have not lost any of the games Carvajal has started, while suffering defeat in five of the other eight (including the 3-0 reverse at the hands of Eibar, which saw Carvajal enter as a late substitute.)

Even while seeing his playing time restricted, Dani continues to show he is a cut above the rest.

Getty3CB: Gerard Pique

While there have been a few jitters, particularly during the early stages of the season, Gerard Pique has been Barcelona's defensive rock.

The centre-back has seen a host of players line up alongside him as Barca have suffered badly with injuries.

Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen have missed most of the campaign, leaving newcomer Clement Lenglet to receive a baptism of fire at Camp Nou.

Despite those difficulties and instability, Pique has been an ocean of calm. He has also popped up with three goals in La Liga to help the leaders' cause.

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Getty Images4CB: Marc Bartra

Betis have been one of the revelations of the Liga season so far, combining flashes of exhilarating football with a sturdy base at the back. Marc Bartra, who arrived in Andalusia at the start of 2018, is the cornerstone of that defensive effort.

The former Barcelona and Dortmund centre-half has been ever-present so far in the 2018-19 campaign, marshalling a backline that ranks among Spain's tightest.

Bartra has endured a difficult professional career marked with setbacks – not least the injuries sustained in Dortmund's horrific bombing attack – but, at 27, he is performing at the peak of his powers.

Lalit Modi, who had been expelled by the BCCI in September last year for “acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline”, has been declared the winner of the Rajasthan Cricket Association election

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-20146:37

Hattangadi: Cricket and players taking the backseat

Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, has been declared the winner of the Rajasthan Cricket Association election. The BCCI’s interim president Shivlal Yadav responded immediately by suspending the RCA under Rule 32 (vii), board secretary Sanjay Patel said.The election of Modi, who had been expelled by the BCCI in September last year for “acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline”, as president of the state association was announced by a court-appointed observer in Jaipur on Tuesday. The polls were conducted in January under the observation of former Justice of the Supreme Court NM Kasliwal, but the results were sealed pending judicial proceedings.On April 30, the Supreme Court had ordered that the results be announced on May 6. When they were released on Tuesday, Modi was declared the winner, having got 24 out of 33 votes – his opponent, Rampal Sharma, won five.Lalit Modi’s supporters celebrate after he is named Rajasthan Cricket Association presidentThe court said the BCCI – which had earlier filed a petition against Modi having participated in the polls, as well as stated it would “withhold privileges” and financial aid to the RCA should he be named president – could take up the issue in an appropriate forum after the results were announced. The legal dispute around the issue are likely to continue. In its petition filed in January, the BCCI had said that allowing Modi, who was banned by the board’s disciplinary committee for life, to return to the RCA would hurt the image of the board.Modi had entered the RCA polls, despite being banned, through the loophole made available to him by the fact that the RCA is governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act.Modi’s allies won all the key posts in the RCA elections: Mehmood M Abdi, Modi’s legal counsel, was declared elected as the deputy-president of the RCA, Somendra Tiwari as the new secretary, and Pawan Goyal its treasurer.

The scenes at the Wankhede Stadium were scarcely believable as Mumbai Indians’ turnaround of a campaign that had begun so disastrously culminated in the most fairy-tale of finishes

The Report by George Binoy25-May-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details8:56

Isa Guha: Rajasthan deserved to lose

The scenes at the Wankhede Stadium were scarcely believable as Mumbai Indians’ turnaround of a campaign that had begun so disastrously culminated in the most fairy-tale of finishes. As Aditya Tare swung his first ball – James Faulkner’s leg-stump full toss – over long leg to give Mumbai the boundary they needed to claw into the playoffs, Rahul Dravid rose from the dugout and flung his Rajasthan Royals cap to the ground as the team he was mentoring completed the most spectacular of meltdowns to lose an un-loseable game.The shambles that caused Dravid to lose his temper would have broken less-composed men much sooner. Despite the mad-scientist experiments in their last few matches, Royals had gone into this game with a hand full of aces. Mumbai Indians, having decided to chase, needed to achieve whatever target they were set in 14.3 overs to get ahead on net run rate. Royals set them 190.Corey Anderson, whom Mumbai picked in place of fast bowler Marchant de Lange, played the attack-shredding innings he had been bought to play but had failed to produce so far in the tournament. However, when Mumbai needed nine off three deliveries to win in 14.3 overs and qualify for the playoffs, Anderson could manage only a single off Faulkner’s first to move to 95 off 44 balls and take his place at the non-striker’s end.Faulkner had eight runs to defend off two balls, but that equation lurched heavily in favour of Mumbai when he delivered a leg-stump full toss that Ambati Rayudu smacked over the long-leg boundary. Rayudu then mis-timed what should have been the decisive ball of the match into the covers and would have been run out had Shane Watson hit at the bowler’s end. But the throw was inaccurate and Rayudu was eventually run out attempting the overthrow that would have given Mumbai all they needed.That moment in the field capped a horrendous match for the Royals captain. Watson’s timing had been incredibly poor during his struggle for 8 off 18 balls after opening the innings, and then he conceded 33 off two wicketless overs. As Mumbai began building the momentum of a runaway train, Watson looked listless and frazzled, and at times Brad Hodge was seen marshalling fielders to their positions.As Rayudu sank to his knees after his dismissal, gutted because he thought Mumbai had fallen so agonisingly short, chaos broke out around him. Calculators went to work off the field, the batsmen and fielders crowded the umpires for clarification, and play halted for several minutes. Some Royals players had begun to celebrate – 14.3 overs had been bowled and the scores were only tied, Mumbai had not won – but substitutes ran out with the message that it was not done yet. If Mumbai hit a boundary off the next ball, they would make it. And then Faulkner bowled a staggeringly loose full toss, Tare hit it for six, got in Watson’s face, tugged his jersey over his head and celebrated like a footballer. Beyond the boundary, Dravid threw down his cap.The hero on the night was the man striding off the field, chest puffed, and wearing a smile as broad as his shoulders. Anderson had played only because Mumbai were in desperate need of men who could hit a long ball. His team-mates – Lendl Simmons, Michael Hussey, Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma – came out swinging but soon ran out of steam. Anderson’s guns never stopped firing.Coming in at 19 for 1, he hammered his first ball – from Watson – to the cover boundary and pulled his second into the crowd beyond deep midwicket. Anderson then watched Kevon Cooper york Hussey and pocket Pollard with a slower ball. Cooper conceded only four runs in the seventh over, leaving Mumbai needing 115 off 45 balls to qualify. They scored more than 14 in all but two of the remaining overs, and never less than 11.Anderson slog-swept Tambe’s legbreaks and googlies to and over the deep-midwicket boundary and repeatedly pummeled the seamers between long on and long off. Only 11 of his 95 runs came behind the wicket. In Rayudu, Anderson found an equally aggressive partner and they put on 81 in 5.1 overs. When Mumbai needed 51 off 21, Rayudu hit three fours and Anderson a fourth in a Watson over to turn the game. Cooper, Tambe and Faulkner were entrusted with the remaining overs to delay Mumbai beyond 14.3, but a battered Royals outfit had no self-belief. Mumbai had it all.The despair Royals felt at the end of the night had rendered the achievements of their two youngest batsmen all but forgotten. Having watched their captain Watson flounder on a pitch that made the ball grip, Sanju Samson and Karun Nair batted fluently, repairing the innings to 59 for 1 after 10 overs before launching an unexpected salvo.Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai captain, used five bowlers between overs 11 and 15 and Samson and Nair took more than 10 runs of everyone, scoring 75 runs in this period. They carved over the off side and slog-swept over the leg, they played reverse and orthodox shots and they timed everything sweetly. Samson brought up his 50 off 36 balls and Nair got his in 26; the century stand took only 9.2 overs.After they fell in the space of four balls in the 15th and 16th over, Royals finally abandoned their inexplicable tactic of preserving Hodge and Faulkner for later. The Australians finished strongly, and had Royals used them better the previous games, they might have already had their playoff spot before tonight. But they had given Mumbai an opening, and fell to pieces as Anderson broke the door down.

Alastair Cook’s next international cricket match will not be until the English season after he confirmed he would sit out the short one-day series in West Indies.

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2014Alastair Cook’s next international match will not be until the English season after he confirmed he would sit out the short one-day series in West Indies.The move was always on the cards after the demands on Cook during the Ashes tour and also because the West Indies trip comes just before the World Twenty20, in which Cook will not play. Stuart Broad, the T20 captain, is expected to step up and make use of an extended opportunity to work with England’s limited-overs coach, Ashley Giles.Asked on Sky Sports if he would be on the West Indies tour, Cook said: “No I won’t be. The Twenty20 guys have got their World Cup in Bangladesh and I think we see it as a great six weeks for them to start building the team.”They’re never together very often and it gives them, and Broady and ‘Gilo’ time, to really have six weeks together to build for Bangladesh.”Although there are three ODIs in the Caribbean before the three T20s, which Cook could have captained to further expand his skills ahead of the World Cup next year, it has been viewed as the chance to give him a longer break and allow the Twenty20 players some extra match practice even if it is a longer format.The one-day leg of the tour is now likely to be captained by Broad, who leads the T20 side, although Eoin Morgan would be another option and has been touted as the man to captain the 50-over side in the long term.However, after voicing doubts over his captaincy future after the defeat in Sydney last week, Cook was more buoyant about his role in Perth and said he was “desperate” to carry on as both the ODI and Test captain despite the debilitating tour of Australia. He is due to have talks with Andy Flower, England’s team director, and Paul Downton, the new managing director, about future planning once back in the UK.Pending any further changes of heart, his first match back in England colours could be the ODI against Scotland on May 9 or the start of the one-day series against Sri Lanka on May 20. England’s schedule has been switched for the 2014 season with the Tests not starting until June 12 at Lord’s.”It has been a challenging tour for me. I can’t not say that,” Cook said. “It’s been a real tough tour for me. I am not exhausted, but I’m ready to put the pads away for a couple of weeks or so. I will enjoy seeing my pregnant wife. I’ll enjoy seeing a few sheep [on the family farm] for a bit.”Cook can be expected to be in action for Essex at the start of the English county season, which begins for his team on April 7 with a match against Cambridge MCCU although his first outing may come the following week in the County Championship opener against Derbyshire from April 13. England’s Test players, especially those not part of the World T20, are expected to feature heavily at the start of the county season.

England’s dressing room will be a better place without Kevin Pietersen, according to his former team-mate, Matt Prior

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-20140:00

KP bites back at Prior

England’s dressing room will be a better place without Kevin Pietersen, according to his former team-mate, Matt Prior, which has led to Pietersen responding through Twitter.Prior, who had a public falling-out with Pietersen after the celebrity journalist Piers Morgan tweeted comments allegedly made by Prior in a private team meeting, admitted that Pietersen’s talent should have made him “the best England cricketer to ever walk this planet”But, when asked in Dubai whether the dressing room would be a better place without Pietersen, Prior replied “yes, it will” and went on to question the batsman’s commitment to team success.”I think one of the biggest things the ECB want to rediscover,” Prior said, “is the value of playing cricket for England. The honour and the pride you need to show as an England cricketer.”And they only want people in that dressing room that are going to be passionate about England winning and performing.”Pietersen responded by seemingly taking a jibe at the fact that Prior was dropped during the Ashes. “Fewer Q&A’s, more Sussex nets methinks, @MattPrior13! #josbuttler,” he tweeted. In later tweets, he referred dismissively to Prior, England’s vice captain, but dropped for the final two Ashes Tests, as “The Big Cheese.”Former England spinner Graeme Swann, who retired midway through the recent Ashes tour, and who later expressed himself mystified by the enforced retirement of Pietersen, suggested that both Prior and Pietersen would have been better served discussing their issues on the phone, instead of in public.Swann told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think Matt’s been a bit naive doing a Q & A in Dubai…you’re never safe in these things. But Kevin has come back in a fairly childish way. I’m sure he has still got his mobile number and could have rung him. But public spats are the new thing.”

Fewer Q&A's, more Sussex nets methinks, @MattPrior13! #josbuttler

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) February 28, 2014

Two of the Ranji Trophy’s batting powerhouses, Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra, take on each other in Chennai from Thursday, but it’s the home side feeling the pressure to register an outright win

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Chennai27-Nov-2013Two of the Ranji Trophy’s batting powerhouses take on each other in Chennai from Thursday, but it’s the home side, Tamil Nadu, feeling the pressure to register an outright win. With only seven points from three games, the 2011-12 runners-up sit at No. 6 in Group B while their opponents, Saurashtra, are comfortably placed at second position.Tamil Nadu are playing their first home game of the season and it will be up to their bowlers to redress the balance and take the 20 wickets needed for a victory. Tamil Nadu failed to progress to the knockouts last season due to a surfeit of draws – six out of eight games – and the trend has continued in the early stages of this season. They took first-innings points against Services and Madhya Pradesh, the latter being asked to follow-on. The bowlers didn’t have enough time to push for an outright win in Indore, but it was the closest Tamil Nadu have got to a winning position.The top order failed on a cold morning in Meerut, against Uttar Pradesh, but the middle and lower order showed fight to take the score close to 300. However, the UP lower order showed greater durability to take a commanding first-innings lead after struggling at one stage at 205 for 6. It was what the Tamil Nadu captain L Balaji described as “one bad day”, in which his side squandered a position of strength.The relaid pitch at the MA Chidambaram is not among the most seamer-friendly in the country – it produced a dreary draw in the 2011-12 Ranji final – but it is learnt that both captains had requested for a bit of grass to be left on the surface in order to encourage an outright win. The pitch reportedly had a greenish tinge on the eve of the game, but the captains will take another look on the morning of the game to determine their bowling combination.Tamil Nadu’s bowling will be under scrutiny after having bowled the opposition out only twice this season. The pitch may give them some relief. “We are expecting a sporting wicket, to make it more evenly balanced and it shouldn’t be just batting oriented,” Balaji said. He was confident the batsmen would fire in unison after the jittery start in Meerut. “It’s one of the best batting line-ups. I’d always bank on the batting. We need to put a good score on the board,” Balaji said.Saurashtra have had a greater exposure to green pitches this season, in two away games. Like Tamil Nadu, their batting was tested in their previous game, against Bengal, where they conceded a first-innings lead. A fighting century stand between the captain Jaydev Shah and Aarpit Vasavada saved them from a disconcerting 38 for 4 in the fourth innings.Shah noted that the batting was in good health, despite their slip up at Eden Gardens. “It happens sometimes on a green pitch,” he said. “But we batted well in the second innings to save the game. Our batsmen have been consistent. Everyone from 1 to 7 has scored a hundred.”The good news for Saurashtra is that their strike bowler, Jaydev Unadkat, will join the squad tonight and should be available for selection. The left-arm seamer did not take part in India’s third ODI against West Indies in Kanpur.Saurashtra began their season on a high with an innings win against Rajasthan in Rajkot. They took innings points at home against UP at home but conceded innings leads in both their away games. Shah, who was also expecting a seamer-friendly surface in Chennai, said players like Cheteshwar Pujara would have the most to gain from that, as it would prepare him for tougher challenges in South Africa.While Saurashtra had 15 fit players to pick from, the hosts had just one injury concern, with the seamer Sunil Sam suffering a niggle. Both captains, however, were undecided on their line-ups.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal

Amol Karhadkar27-Dec-20144:02

Agarkar: Ban answers question why Akshar picked over Ojha

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal. ESPNcricinfo understands that following a request made by the Hyderabad Cricket Association, Ojha’s home association in domestic cricket, Ojha’s action was tested at the ICC-recognised centre in Chennai. The tests, it is understood, concluded that Ojha’s elbow flexed more than the permissible limit of 15 degrees.The BCCI informed the HCA in a letter on Friday that Ojha cannot bowl in competitive cricket till his action is cleared, and the bowler was subsequently withdrawn from Hyderabad’s squad for their Ranji Trophy game against Services, which begins on Sunday.It is understood that Ojha’s action had been under the scanner for more than a year now, which was one of the reasons why he disappeared from the selectors’ radar despite being one of the quickest Indian bowlers to reach 100 Test wickets. Ojha is believed to have discussed the issue informally with the national selectors, which resulted in him getting his action tested in Chennai.Purshottam Agarwal, the HCA joint secretary, admitted that the association had “received a letter” from the BCCI, but denied that the HCA had asked for Ojha’s action to be evaluated. Hyderabad’s coach Abdul Azeem, meanwhile, said he was surprised by the setback to his team, particularly since there had been “no whispers about it”.Former Test umpire AV Jayaprakash, a member of the BCCI’s committee to eradicate suspect bowling actions, had told ESPNcricinfo in October that Ojha had been asked to undertake corrective measures in the past. Following Jayaprakash’s claims, which came during the Duleep Trophy, Ojha started bowling in half-sleeves. In the Ranji Trophy this season, he bowled 133.4 overs in Hyderabad’s three matches, picking up four wickets at 75.25. It is understood that Ojha did bowl his arm-ball throughout the season, a delivery which is believed to have come under the scanner.Earlier this month, Ojha was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2015 IPL season.

IPL franchises are likely to have two options to keep the core of their teams intact ahead of the 2014 season: the usual practice of player retention, and a new system of ‘right to match’ cards that can be used during the auction

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Dec-2013Salient points from the Singapore meeting

IPL teams could be allowed to retain five players, and they could be given ‘right to match’ cards in order to buy back more players at the auction

The auction is likely to be held on February 12 and 13

The salary cap for the 2014 auction is likely to be Rs 600 million (approximately $10 million) and could increase by 10% each year. For the first time, the purse is in Indian Rupees and not dollars

If a franchise chooses to retain five players, it will likely lose Rs 390 million from its auction purse

The contracts for players retained or signed at the auction will likely be valid for three seasons, with the franchise holding the right to renewal at the start of each of season

The number of players in a squad is also likely to be reduced from 33 to 27, and the number of foreign players cut from 11 to nine per team

IPL franchises are likely to have two options available to keep the core of their teams intact ahead of the 2014 season: the usual practice of player retention, and a new system of ‘right to match’ cards that can be used during the auction. A team is expected to be able to retain up to five players and the IPL has recommended three ‘right to match’ cards per franchise, which means up to eight players could be retained, salary cap permitting. The auction is likely to be held on February 12 and 13 at a yet-to-be-decided venue.The franchises were also informed that the 2014 general elections in India will have an impact on the venue for the tournament. Once the Indian government announced the election dates, the IPL will work out a feasible venue for next year’s edition, the franchises were told.The idea of the ‘right to match’ card was discussed during a two-day IPL workshop in Singapore on November 28 and 29 that was organised by the BCCI. A card would allow a franchise to buy back a player during the auction by simply matching the highest bid. For example, if two or more franchises were bidding for a player who had represented a different team in the 2013 season, then that team’s owners could buy back the player if they wanted to by matching the highest bid for him.During the discussions in Singapore, one suggestion was to bring all the players back into the auction but the IPL was not interested in abandoning the retention policy. Although officials did not specify the reasons, the feeling was that a retention policy allowed certain powerful franchises to hold on to the players that formed the core of their side over the previous seasons.It is understood that the idea of a ‘right to match’ card was floated to offset the retention rule, which some franchises felt was detrimental to their chances. Before the 2011 auction, franchises were allowed to retain up to four players from their old squads, but for every player retained, the franchise would lose a certain amount from the salary cap of $9 million available for spending at the auction. For the first player retained, $1.8 million was deducted from the salary cap, for the second player it was $1.3 million, the third $900,000 and the fourth $500,000. However, these were not necessarily the amounts paid by the franchise to the retained players. So a team that kept four players went into the auction with only $4.5 million to spend.”There were some franchises that did not retain any players, but still ended up paying more money [for four players in the auction] than a franchise that retained four players and paid just half the salary cap,” a franchise official said. “In fact these teams [which retained players] obviously paid more money although that was never made public. So that was a perfect way for teams to go to an auction with half the purse and also circumvent the salary cap.”Not all franchises were in agreement about the ‘right to match’ card, though. “It works for teams where players are asking for a big price [to be retained],” an official who did not agree with the concept said. He felt it was unfair that a franchise, which had not participated in the bidding for a player, could walk away with that player only because of a ‘right to match’ card, when there were other teams actively involved in the bidding. “If two franchises are locked in a bid to buy a player and then suddenly a third franchise comes and says he has the right to buy the player, you might end up paying more [in order to discourage teams from using the card].”The salary cap for the 2014 auction is likely to be Rs 600 million (approximately $10 million) and is likely to increase by 10% each year. For the first time, the purse in is Indian Rupees and not dollars. If a franchise chooses to retain five players, it is likely to lose Rs 125 million from the purse for the first player, Rs 95 million for the second, Rs 75 million for the third, Rs 55* million for the fourth and Rs 40 million for the fifth – a total of Rs 390 million, leaving them with Rs 210 million for bidding during the auction.It is not clear at the moment whether there is a restriction on the number of Indian or foreign players that can be retained. “There is nothing definitive,” a BCCI official said. “All five can be Indians or all five can be overseas. Or there could be a mix of both.”According to the official, a higher purse was unhelpful for the smaller teams, as they had lesser money to spend compared to sides like Mumbai Indians or Chennai Super Kings. With the 2014 purse likely to be capped at Rs 600 million, the playing field will be more level because that was the average expenditure of the smaller teams in terms of player payments and operation costs. The salary cap had been $12.5 million (approximately Rs 750 million at current exchange rates) in 2013.The contracts for players retained or signed at the 2014 auction are likely to be valid for three seasons, with the franchise holding the right to renewal at the start of each of season. The number of players in a squad is also likely to be reduced from 33 to 27, and the number of foreign players cut from 11 to nine per team. Another important change is that all Indian domestic players, who have either played first-class or List A cricket, will be eligible for sale at the auction. Previously only players who had played for India or played a certain number of games for their IPL teams could be auctioned.All these suggestions and recommendations will now be discussed by the IPL governing council, which has to ratify the changes for them to take effect. The Singapore meeting was the first gathering of IPL officials and franchises since the betting and spot-fixing scandal marred the 2013 season. Ravi Sawani, the head of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit, addressed the franchises and gave a presentation on the various corruption-related events in the past two IPLs. Sawani also spoke of the various measures his team would put in place to protect the integrity of both the players and the tournament.December 3, 2013, 05.50 GMT: This figure was earlier stated as 50 million