What about the batting?
The batting only fired in fits and starts. It did not click as a unit. We were also hurt by losing Laxman to injury. He provided solidity at the top.

Any other learnings that came from players?
Out of 11 players in each team there were four international players. The rest were local. The big difference makers in IPL were players like Ghony, Asnodkar who seized the opportunity with both hands. They saw this as an opportunity to make a name for themselves.

They had the drive and willingness to use the platform. Shaun Marsh, David Hussey did the same. Now these players can walk into the national 11. Marsh was a great deal as he came for $35,000. It has been a collection of rights and wrongs that have put teams where they are now.

The big difference came from players who felt that they had a point to prove. Venugopal Rao who played for India three years back came out with a vengeance for us. Asnodkar should have played for Bangalore. Instead he was bought by Rajasthan. They all were willing to do whatever it took. The IPL has made it a level playing field in the truest sense. At the same time you had some young players who simply went through the motions and missed the bus. Now each team will go into the nooks and corners of their area and find the next gem.

What about the Australian impact on IPL?
While it is called Indian Premier League the players from which country did consistently well? Australia. If you look at IPL you understand why Australia dominates world cricket. There is something for us to learn from there. We are lucky that we have Gilchrist who plays godfather to the young players. In fact he spent more time with them than with the other senior players.

To what extent has team loyalty been built?
It is tough to say. In Mumbai it was there to an extent but even then they were cheering for Gilchrist when we came down. Everybody cheered for Dhoni. While people have bought Sachin T-shirts is it due to loyalty for Mumbai Indians or more because one wants an IPL souvenir?

While everybody knows that Jaipur has won the IPL how many know the name of the team? The same is the case with Hyderabad. Teams have to build character so that people can relate with them.

What is the plan now going forward?
There are several things. We would look at season tickets, merchandising. For merchandising the key is to get the pricing right for things like T-shirts, caps. This can be extended later by franchises setting up IPL themed bars and restaurants.

The potential is immense and it can become an industry of its own. If you see how sports sponsorship and merchandising has evolved in the US it is tremendous.

Are you in favour of having more than one event a year or will this result in overkill?
This is something the players will decide. As a franchisee I might want them to play several events a year but there are constraints. Country cricket is far more important as of now. 45 days of cricket is more tiring than one might think. T20 is more mentally draining than ODI cricket because you need to keep up the intensity constantly as the match can change in an over. All the players need to be aware of what is going on and not just the captain.

Then you have to consider the fact that one more team will be added in the fourth year and two more in the seventh. This will dramatically increase the length of time the event is played in. Keeping windows open is not easy. What would work though is having an international T20 competition where the top two teams from IPL compete against the top two T20 sides from Australia, England etc. This could be done is less than two weeks.

Won't the new teams be at a disadvantage as the players have already been sold?
No! By then the contracts would have expired. What you would see though is two things. One is that senior players like Dravid, Hayden would have left. The other is that there will be player loyalties and disloyalties. One will see churn happen. One will also see players like Asnodkar, Ghony get six figure contracts. A new set of players will emerge. In the meantime, franchisees will work to fine-tune their relationships with their players to get the most out of them.

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