As the most popular T20 league, the IPL, takes over everyone's lives for the next 6 weeks or so, there is an IPL game in town that will take over everyone's social media lives.

With the IPL frenzy ongoing, Expedia India have launched an IPL based game called 'Stop the Run Chase!'.


The objective of the game is exactly as the name suggests - one needs to stop the runs from flowing and keep the points total down to win.

Interestingly, no team has been able to stop the run chase in the IPL yet with Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Rajasthan Royals all failing to defend their totals.

However in Expedia's IPL game you can defend! All you have to do is tap on the 120 balls that are hit to different parts of India and defend your score.

It is quite an interesting and unique game that will keep IPL fans engaged on social media as they play to better their friends.

The balls coming your way are being hit towards different parts of India - specifically the 8 cities that are represented in the IPL. And your role is to stop the balls and keep the score low.

To obtain top position, you need keep the points total to under 120. And if your points total is above 360 you are at the bottom of the pile.


The different ranks are associated with the IPL teams based on their rankings in the previous edition of the IPL.

Can you beat the defending IPL Champions, the Mumbai Indians?

Play Expedia India's 'Stop the Run Chase' and find out if you can keep the total below 120 to be ranked top!

If you thought the IPL was exciting, you haven't experienced this IPL.

The 11th season of the IPL is upon us and Cricinfo have come out with some Smart Stats that they are going to use to measure and analyze performances of batsmen and bowlers during this elite T20 league competition.

This all sounds quite interesting as it will shed some new light on how the players perform in T20 in different conditions.

But as this all unfolds in front of us, here's a look at the some basic stats from the past decade of IPL.

IPL Champions
The defending champions are Mumbai Indians who have also won the IPL title more times than any other team - thrice.


Following them, with two title wins each, are Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, who return to the IPL after serving the two year ban.

The other three seasons have witnessed Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, and Sunrisers Hyderabad win the IPL.

Who will win IPL 2018? Various quarters suggest that this will be the most competitive IPL till date and no one team is being marked as favorite.

We will be talking about this in IPL 2020 as well when the league enters its third decade.

The IPL today is the largest T20 league in the world and its title probably the most coveted T20 title that 8 teams will be vying for starting today!

IPL's Top Batsmen
Five batsmen have scored more than 4,000 runs in IPL with Suresh Raina at the top of the list with 4,540 runs at an average of 34.1 and a strike rate of 139.1.

The others with more than 4,000 runs are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, and David Warner.

Among all batsmen who have scored over 1,000 runs, only Chris Gayle and David Warner average above 40, with Chris Gayle's 41.2 being the highest average.

Chris Gayle also holds the record for most number of centuries (5), most sixes (265), and highest individual score of 175* in the IPL.

Gayle also holds the record for the fastest ever 100 scored in the IPL when he smashed one of just 30 deliveries, which is also the fastest 100 scored in all T20 cricket.

Gayle is a T20 phenomenon and for a decade he has been performing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, however this season he will turn out for Kings XI Punjab.


The highest strike rate in the IPL for all batsmen with more than 1,000 runs is Glenn Maxwell's (164.4) followed by Virender Sehwag's 155.4.

The fastest 50 record is held by Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine, both of whom reached their 50 in just 15 deliveries.

Gayle's fastest 50 is off 17 deliveries, which is the third fastest in IPL history.

IPL's Top Bowlers
Lasith Malinga is the leading wicket taker in IPL with 154 wickets at an average of 19.01 and a strike rate of 16.6.

Malinga is miles ahead of other bowlers with a clear lead of 20 wickets over Amit Mishra who is second on the list with 134 wickets. He is followed by Harbajhan Singh (127), Piyush Chawla (126), and Dwayne Bravo (122).

Malinga's average is the best average among all bowlers with at least 40 wickets in the IPL. While Sunil Narine holds the record for the best economy rate (6.32) among all bowlers who have bowled at least 100 overs in the IPL.


The best bowling figures in the IPL belong to Sohail Tanvir whose 6-14 in the first season for the Rajasthan Royals remains the record even 10 years after.

Adam Zampa is the only other bowler to pick up a 6 wicket haul in the IPL with his 6-19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.


These batsmen and bowlers will be in action once again as season 11 of the IPL gets underway. It will be interesting to follow them and all the other talented cricketers that this league displays, especially with the new Smart Stats.

Let the games begin!

Six years ago when the IPL was first established, it was like a dream come true. It was the world's best cricketers and the world's biggest stars coming together, it was cricket and bollywood entertainment combined into one extravagant package.

For a fan like me, it didn't get better than that. It was entertainment at its best.

For the first time this year, IPL came to my town. It came to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, the place I grew up watching India vs Pakistan matches.

Thanks to a friend, I got my hands on two passes for the Super Saturday IPL matches: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab.

It was going to be a day where I could watch Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, Jacques Kallis, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and the big show Glenn Maxwell live in action!

And then there was the prospect of Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Shilpa Shetty being there.

The cricket itself was quite boring. The Royal Challengers were bowled out for 70 odd and Rajasthan Royals took their sweet time to get there. Punjab were bowled out for 133 and KKR could manage only 109. I saw only half a dozen sixes being hit throughout the day, and the highest score by a batsman was 37 by Sehwag. Maxwell, Kohli, Watson, Kallis... no one got going.

Despite that, there was ample entertainment on display. One can never be bored at an IPL game, that is for sure. Here are some highlights of my first day at the IPL:

1. Vijay Mallya's box was right behind where we were seated, while Shilpa Shetty was seated a few boxes away. Between the two innings, Shilpa Shetty paid Mallya a visit, and the crowd around us went ballistic. They merrily clicked away as the security had a tough time controlling people standing at the edge of Mallya's box.

2. Once the first match ended, the Punjab and KKR teams took to the field for some drills as the presentation was ongoing. At the end of the presentation, Shane Watson walked up to greet his Australian mates who were part of the Punjab XI - Bailey, Maxwell, and Johnson. They chatted for a good 10 minutes; your guess is as good as mine regarding what they chatted about.










































Cricket Bats - Fordham Sports

3. A representative from KKR came into the crowd and distributed KKR hats and flags to everyone. 15 minutes after he left a rep from the Kings XI came there and announced that whoever gave him the KKR flag or hat would get a Punjab one in return. I made sure I had something from both the teams to keep!



4. Maxwell's practice drill was the most interesting. A member of the Punjab contingent threw some balls at him and he played them straight down. He did that to 3 deliveries and then he proceeded to practice his switch hit / reverse sweep / reverse slog, whatever you want to call it. He must have played two dozen hits, including one that caught the top edge and sailed into the crowd. The crowd started cheering and asking for him to hit them their way, which Maxwell politely obliged. Every single switch hit from then on was hit into the crowd with perfect aim towards a row of people who would catch them. It was probably the most entertaining practice drill I had ever seen. It was also no surprise to see Maxwell hit the same shot off Narine for four as soon as he walked out to bat.

5. Wasim Akram was the first person to walk up to the pitch once it had been rolled and was ready for the KXIP vs KKR match. He knocked a few punches into the surface and then walked over to Gautam Gambhir to have a chat.

6. Preity Zinta and Juhi Chawla arrived together to the ground and walked into the Royal Box. Juhi took a seat there while Preity asked for where the Punjab box was. Lucky for me, it was right behind us, next to Mallya's box.



7. The security was tighter this time around Preity Zinta's box and walking up to her to take pictures was impossible, but watching her expressions throughout the match from 10 feet away was more than I could ask for. Having seen all the histrionics on TV for the past 7 years, it was a treat to watch it all from up close.



8. Juhi Chawla has the best smile in the business!



























9. Shahrukh Khan arrived during the second half of Punjab's innings. He came with Sheikh Nahyan and sat in the royal box. For the next 3 hours, it was a Shahrukh Khan show. Every Punjab wicket, every boundary hit by KKR was followed by SRK standing on his feet, clapping, waving, and asking the crowd to cheer louder. That man cannot stay away from being center stage.


Once again, I ws lucky to be about 10 feet away from him and managed to experience what I have seen all this while on TV in person.

The name "Shahrukh" was probably screamed every second during that time as fans tried to get his attention.

There was more focus on Shahrukh Khan then there was on the match.

It was a sight!



10. At the end of 11 overs, KKR were 50-3 and it seemed that they would reach the target. Just then Preity Zinta got up from her seat and walked to the edge of her box to speak to someone. At that same moment, Chris Lynn was clean bowled. Someone from the Punjab contingent asked Preity to stay there and not move till the end of the game.

While Preity stood there at the edge of her box, KKR lost 6 wickets in the next 7 overs, and with it the match.

The superstition regarding people's positions in the dressing rooms, dugouts, and elsewhere, which is quite common in the Indian dressing room, surely worked for Punjab that day.

The cricket was dull and boring, but the entertainment around the ground was top notch.

Nothing like it!

He did it during the 2008 IPL campaign, ending the competition as the league's leading wicket taker.

And he did it again for the Rajasthan Royals in today's T20 match against Middlesex Panthers.

The 2008 IPL and County T20 champions met today at Lord's in a game played for the British Asian Trust, one of the Prince of Wales' charities.

Batting first, the Royals posted a winning total of 162 that included an Asnodkar and Kaif consolidation play and a late burst from Mascarenhas.

Even Justin Langer turned out for Warne's team but he couldn't get going with the bat.

In response the Panthers were bowled out for only 116 with Tanvir picking up 3-20 in his 4 overs.

He got the crucial wickets of opener Godleman, Eoin Morgan, and Tyron Henderson, who had appeared for the Royals in this year's IPL.

Tanvir's lack of form for Pakistan did not hurt their chances in the World T20, but it would have been good to see him performing for his country.

Like he does for his IPL franchise.

So what is it about Warne that brings about the best in Tanvir?

Maybe Younis Khan needs to take some tips on what makes Tanvir tick.

No matter how good one is at chasing, I believe in crunch games, chasing can be very very hard. Even if the total is not that big; the pressure is just too much for the batsmen.

Besides the call at the toss, I think Dhoni and the team management made a couple of other big mistakes as well.

Firstly the fact that Pragyan Ojha did not play. Why did they drop one of their best bowlers?

To be fair, Harbajhan and Jadeja did a brilliant job with the ball; but surely in a do-or-die game you just have to take your best players in!

Secondly, and not for the first time, India got their batting order all wrong.

So far Dhoni had made the mistake of coming out at number 3 himself. When I understood that the strategy was Dhoni at 3 for Gambhir, and Raina at 3 for Rohit, it made sense to me.

A dasher and an accumulator in the middle always makes sense; it was unfortunate that Dhoni was out of form.

Considering that, it made no sense at all to send Jadeja in at 4 tonight, especially since the wickets to fall were Rohit and Raina.

With Gambhir and Jadeja in the middle, India had 2 accumulators in the middle - what happened to the strategy!?

Moreover, did the team management not watch the IPL? Jadeja batted well alright, but always too slow for the team's liking, leading to a number of failed run chases for the Rajasthan Royals.

Surely Yuvraj should have walked out when Raina fell.

And then when Jadeja finally holed out, in walked Dhoni!

Alright so the captain wanted to take responsibility; but given the form he has been in thus far, and the significantly high asking rate at the time, I believe Yusuf Pathan should have walked out.

But, credit where credit is due, England did hit the Indians where it hits hard - the short stuff.

England would have seen how the West Indian bowlers had handled the powerful Indian top order; they applied the same plan and the Indians, yet again, were found wanting.

The result - India, the defending champions, out of the ICC World Twenty20!

At the end, the difference was ONLY 3 runs!

Are you going to tell me that India would not have done it had Yuvraj walked out at 4, and/or YP before Dhoni?

Yeah I thought so.

1. How Chennai SuperKings will get there

By beating Kings XI Punjab. Its quite simple for them - win the game and get to 17 points, which no other team can get.

If they lose, then they will probably also get there.

Even if Kings XI get to 16 by beating CSK, and Deccan get to 16 by beating Bangalore, CSK will be at 4th with 15.

The Royals can get to 15 points by beating KKR, but to get their Net Run Rate from -0.36 to beyond +0.93 maybe mathematically possible, but it is practically impossible.

Hence, CSK, their fans, Leela - You got nothing to worry about. In a way it might also be good that their shocking loss came before the semis.

2. How Rajasthan Royals can get there

For starters, by winning their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. If they lose they will surely be out.

But only winning will not get them there, other results will also have to go their way - either one of the Kings XI or Deccan will have to lose their last match.

If both of them win, the Royals are out irrespective of their result against KKR.

3. How Royal Challengers Bangalore can get there

I think they have the most chances to get there, but they have 2 tough games against the Delhi Daredevils and the Deccan Chargers.

If RCB win both their matches, then will surely be through, no matter what the result of the other matches. They have a better NRR than Kings XI and victories will make that even better.

There's a possibility though that they can get to the semis even by winning 1 of their 2 matches.

For that to happen, the Royals will have to lose to KKR, and the Kings to CSK.

That way RCB will be tied on 14 points with the Kings and with a better NRR to let them through.

4. How Kings XI Punjab can get there

They can get there even if they lose but also not get there even if they win.

See how confusing this is.

If they lose to CSK, then they can get there if the Royals lose to KKR and RCB loses both its matches.

If Kings XI beat CSK, then they could still be knocked out if RCB wins both its matches.

They've got it quite tough I reckon.

5. How Deccan Chargers can get there

If they beat RCB then they will surely be through.

But if they lose, then they will be able to get to the semis if Kings XI lose to CSK and the Royals lose to KKR.

Actually, even if one of the above results holds true, then Deccan can get their despite losing to RCB, provided that RCB had lost to Delhi.

See how intense the final few days of the group stages are?

No one will be slacking for sure.

Its going to be intense!

Delhi lot, you have nothing to worry about besides thinking who you would like to play in the semis. Maybe you can manipulate some results and make money while you're at it - Banjo Cassim is around I hear.

"Which of the IPL franchises will become Twenty20’s equivalent of Manchester United, Real Madrid or LA Lakers?"
That is not me asking you. The CEO of MTI Consulting asks that in a new report on the IPL titled, IPL Brand Value Scorecard 2009.
The report is a joint effort between MTI Consulting and Intangible Business, and presents the Brand Valuations of the 8 IPL franchises.
The report is quite an interesting read as are the results of the Brand Valuation Excercise.
Surprised? So was I!
Well atleast the Kolkata Knight Riders are topping some sort of table.
But one surely raises an eyebrow when they see the worst performing team of IPL 2009 at the top, no matter what the excercise, and the defending champions right at the bottom.
MTI Consulting and Intangible Business explain this by stating that on-field performance hold no bearing over the valuation of a brand.
That does sound slightly strange considering that the valuation excercise is that of sporting entities, hence how strong or how good a team is should have some bearing on its value.
That is not the case however. The value being calculated is of the brand name, in a way the business entity that a Kolkata Knight Riders or Delhi Daredevils is, rather than the cricket team.
Hence the factors that go behind calculating the value of these 8 IPL franchises are things like their ability to engage with local communities, star power, media exposure, international relevance, ability to generate future income, public interest, and so on.
So what MTI Consulting and Intangible Business did was gather data regarding the teams such as website visits, match attendance, TV viewing figures, and other things.
They say this was publicly available data, and all from 2008, hence the Fake IPL Player plays no part in the calculation of KKR's brand value.
Well atleast Shahrukh Khan has something to smile about!
The whole methodology, the data used, what it means, and the rankings with explanations in detail can be seen in the full report, which as I said is an interesting read.
You can download it from here, or send me an email on wellpitched@gmail.com and I will mail it to you along with the quotes from the directors at MTI Consulting and Intangible Business.