The time is upon us for the new IPL season. As many look forward to returning their attention to the likes of the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, many are at the start of their IPL journey.
Until last year, I had always kept one eye on the IPL, but never got to see too much. I was indeed one of those lucky few, able to experience the joys of your first proper IPL season. Looking back, I had so much to learn, so many weird and wonderful things. I had no real guide through the chaos outside of my Twitter timeline, so I figured somebody should make one.
The Boring Stuff
For all you fans of rigour and knowing the whole procedure, the format is simple. You have eight teams. They play each other twice. The Play-Offs start. 1st plays 2nd (Play-Off 1). 3rd plays 4th (Eliminator). Winner of the Eliminator plays the loser of Play-Off 1 (Play-Off 2). The two Play-Off winners then meet in what we call a final.
This year, due to COVID-19 (sorry for mentioning it), teams are not playing at their home grounds. Instead, they are playing all games across a host of neutral venues.
That’s the statute law out of the way, here comes the fun part.
Picking a Team
To get peak enjoyment out of sport, you have to arbitrarily pick a team. I am in the camp that the sillier the reason the better. Of course, all beginners are different. Some already love cricket, some have never seen a minute. No matter what camp you’re in, you are never beyond supporting a team for a nonsense reason.
Here’s my guide to picking a team.
If you like winning…
The Mumbai Indians.
Look, we’re not all hopeless sporting romantics. Sometimes it’s fun seeing ‘your team’ go all the way. I do understand. There’s a certain romance in not supporting a shambles. The Mumbai Indians quite frankly have some of the best players, and are a very stable long-term pick.
Like a good partner, you’ll know that they’ll achieve more than you ever will, and most of your enjoyment will be vicariously through their success.
If you like crushing disappointment…
The Royal Challengers Bangalore
Sometimes pain is satisfying. RCB bring the thrills for any masochists amongst you. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, RCB have an impressive knack of coming close but failing to win. If you enjoy your sports teams filling you with false hope and broken dreams, RCB are your guys.
If you’re more of an individualist, RCB have what you’re looking for. AB de Villiers is really good at whacking the ball in an entertaining manner, and Virat Kohli is one of the most famous figures in the history of the game.
If you’re really cool (and like English players) …
The Rajasthan Royals
The Brits abroad. The most fashionable team in the whole damn thing. As a young, ’hip’, English man, the Rajasthan Royals won my heart last year. Rocking blue and pink, the Royals boast the England internationals Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer.
Ok, Archer is injured. Yes, the Royals finished last in 2020. But, there’s just something about them.
The Royals are not necessarily your best bet of seeing a trophy, but they are one of the funniest teams. The Double Rs have a fantastic record against the imperious Mumbai Indians, but frequently lose to dodgy teams.
Other teams may win more, but they will look worse doing it. Choose fashion, choose Rajasthan.
If you like seeing big hits…
The Punjab Kings
From the ashes of King’s XI Punjab, rises the markedly different Punjab Kings. The name’s nearly identical, so’s the kit, but who’s counting?
Punjab Kings are ‘fresh’ and ‘cool’ now. They also have quite a fun team to watch. Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran are the two to watch for bit of casual entertainment. The type of players who will make your parents stop by the TV and say ‘they can hit it so far, can’t they?’.
Their kit may be horrid, and their opening batsman KL Rahul may have a fundamentally awful view of T20 cricket, but someone has to support them.
If you like history…
The Chennai Super Kings
Chennai are the choice of historians and archaeologists alike. You see, they both boast a successful history of winning, and do a great job of keeping fossils in the team.
In an eye-watering yellow kit, Chennai are hard to miss. They have Indian cricketing legend MS Dhoni as captain, and for many people that is reason enough to support. For others, maybe their fantastic team song is most tempting.
If you enjoy the comfort of past success mixed with the prospect of some in the future, then look no further than Chennai Super Kings.
If you like an easy ride…
The Kolkata Knight Riders
Fair play, they have maybe the craziest name in a league of colourful names. KKR are a fairly safe bet if you want to avoid particularly extreme emotion. You’re unlikely to hit either the highs or lows of the spectrum, but you should have enough fun along the way.
KKR have won the IPL twice and finished just outside the Play-Offs in 2020. All results are still very much on the table.
Also, they’re your dudes if you like purple.
If you like South African fast bowlers and Australian batsmen with questionable T20 records…
The Delhi Capitals
2020 runners-up, DC are something of an odd one. Despite finishing second, they were at times quite rubbish in the 2020 edition of the IPL. If you’re a South African, this is still a no brainer. Both Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada are with DC and are set to do pretty well for it.
Similarly, Aussies Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis look set to star. Whilst Smith has a habit of crawling along at a run a ball, and Stoinis is on the inconsistent side, I’m sure they do all the right things for any interested Australians.
Perhaps too if you’re a very sad English fan who wants to stare at Chris Woakes on water duty for a few weeks, DC have just what you’re looking for.
If you like the sunset effect on shirts…
The Sunrisers Hyderabad
They’re named after the sun, and look like it too. Kitted in an orange to yellow gradient, SRH are a child on WordArt’s dream.
You may also look to SRH if you have a decent amount of prior knowledge given their number of international superstars. David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan. There is a lot of star power.
SRH, after a slow start, snuck into the 2020 Play-Offs. If you hedge your bets on them now, you just may be pleasantly surprised.
Adjusting Your Ears
Right, team sorted, now comes the fever dream. Watching an IPL game can be something of a bizarre experience. The elephant in the room is most likely the commentary.
Not because it’s rubbish, no comment on that matter (it probably is), but because it might seem a bit different at first.
See, everything before you probably has a title sponsor. Someone hits a six? Wrong, it’s an UnAcademy Cracking Six. Someone has the best strike rate? No, they’re the Altroz SuperStriker. Yes, you are correct, that is a car sat next to the field of play.
Don’t be surprised if the commentary start talking about the car on display. Somewhere around matchday 30 you’ll be able to word for word predict what Graeme Swann will say. This will usually be about it having a great sound system and an icebox in the back. It’s a great car!
This is perhaps my favourite quirk of the IPL. You don’t have Martin Tyler flogging a car in the 68th minute of the Manchester Derby, but wouldn’t it be such good fun if he had to?
The IPL might be quite different to anything you’ve ever seen in terms of sponsorship and its very prominent role. It might be a bit overwhelming at first, but I find you grow to love it.
A Sense of Grandeur
Every part of the broadcast is geared towards the idea that bigger is better.
One part of this is the use of sound effects. No, you’re not hearing things, the broadcast have indeed synched the sound of a cannon firing with the ball hitting the bat. This is again something that you don’t see often elsewhere.
Similarly, don’t be taken aback by the liberal use of music and chants by the DJ. I must reiterate, the Chennai Super Kings song is an absolute banger.
My best explanation for you at this juncture is to readjust how you approach the IPL. If you wish, you can go in with a straight face. You probably won’t have too much fun, but you can. Alternatively, you can choose to view the IPL as sports entertainment.
Yes, my number one tip for enjoying the IPL as a newbie is to embrace its somewhat camp and cheesy nature. In my opinion, it comes incredibly close to being the sibling of professional wrestling. The IPL is incredibly theatrical, and it knows it. If you spend your time asking sensible questions like ‘why is this a 40 over advert?’ then you’re going to hinder your own enjoyment.
Go in with a goofy grin and take the game for what it is.
Post-Game Presentations
After a game in English sport, we are usually treated to an interview, and the Man of the Match is given a little trophy. Once again, the IPL thinks bigger.
After every single game, a multitude of cash awards are handed out to several players. This tends to be for boundaries hit, strike rate, dream team points, and performance in the Power Play. What seems odd at first, is that everything comes in the form of a giant novelty cheque.
There’s something bizarrely amusing about seeing the world’s finest cricketers fumble around to pose for a camera with a massive cheque in their hands.
The Bigger Picture
The absolute best advice for starting to watch the IPL is to just enjoy it. It can be a bit odd, but you are fundamentally getting to watch some of the best players ever all in one place.
A fun by-product of getting into the IPL is that it does a great job of setting a strong foundation for watching international cricket. All in one go, you’re introduced to so many players, and can so quickly see quite how good they are.
Over a season, stories and narratives form, and you will quickly become wrapped up in them without even trying to.
The IPL can be such great fun, and I almost wish I could go back and experience it all again for the first time.
