Why did Sreesanth cheat?

If the title of the blogpost gives you the impression that what follows is an investigational account of the nexus among bookies, players, politicians etc., then you are bound to be disappointed. So, in order to set the context, let me outline what this post is all about. This post captures my understanding of what behavioral economists have to say about “cheating”. The learnings are mainly from an online course from Dan Ariely (Duke University) titled “A Beginner's Guide to Irrational Behavior”. So, let’s begin the journey of analyzing Sreesanth’s fall from grace. 

How to clean the IPL mess?

A lot is being said about IPL nowadays so I thought why not join the bandwagon. After all, IPL which was supposed to be a mix of cricket and glamour, has instead become a topic taking black money, conflict of interests, match fixing, abuse, molestations too into its fold.

As is the case (discussed in one my earliest post as well) that those who run the IPL i.e. organizers (IPL committee), the regulators (read BCCI but don’t ask me if they are too different from the IPL committee) and the sponsors (including the advertisers, broadcasters and team owners) are too intertwined and thus this combination has become just “Too big to fail”.

Then (1983) and Now (2011)

Finally after 28 long years India managed to lift the most coveted trophy in the game of cricket. Finally after six world cups and probably his last, Sachin Tendulkar has a world champion title on his resume (the placements hangover). So how is this triumph (2011) different from the earlier one i.e. the 1983 edition? Don’t get me wrong, I am not going to compare how this one is better than the last one or vice-versa as that would be a cardinal sin. But some interesting differences do emerge in the way the two feats were accomplished. For analyzing the 1983 victory I have relied mainly on stats as well as opinions of ex-cricketers. Let’s have a look at them one by one.

Who gives that extraaaa: Harsha or Mandira?

When cricket season arrives, soaps and other TV shows take a backseat. Isn’t it? It does happen at my home especially when it’s the world cup and I am free. But my mother had a common grudge that she had to lose out more than others as apart from the cricket match, the pre and the post-match analysis too ate into her serials. In this blog I will discuss and compare two match analysis shows that we witnessed in the cricket world cups. They are “extra innings” aired on SET MAX during the 2003 and 2007 editions of the cricket world cup and “cricket extra” that is being aired on STAR cricket in this edition i.e. cricket world cup, 2011.

Why will the 50-overs format be soon over?

Which are the most awaited series in cricket nowadays? Some may say Ashes, some may rate Border-Gavaskar trophy as their favourite or some may even find Aus-SA test match rivalry exhilarating. Well if I ask you to limit yourself to the “limited overs” format, IPL might be the one to go for. Some cricket enthusiast might even include Champions league T20 (though I won’t). Now let’s qualify it even further. How many 50 over series or tournaments are on your radar? You might vote for Champions trophy. Can you come up with a few more? Seems tough, isn’t it?

Now it’s the turn of the players to pick their favourites. You will find the Aussies and the Poms engrossed with the Ashes or the Indian team bragging about their No.1 tag. The Proteas consider winning Test series in Australia as their biggest cricketing achievement. Come IPL and you would find players braving injuries to showcase their talents. In fact it has even affected their commitments to their national teams.  

Rebranding in Real Life

After discussing a few social issues, college experiences and even movies, this time we’ll discuss marketing in real life i.e. not limiting ourselves to consumer products. The topic for this discussion will be 'Rebranding'. First let me define it. Rebranding is the attempt or an exercise, usually by an established brand (which could be a company, a person etc.), to develop a new position in the minds of stakeholders which could include customers, competitors, fans etc. It’s mainly an attempt to keep oneself relevant with changing times.

Can you Spot Match-fixing?

After raising some of the issues related to our student lives, this time I would focus on a topic that I would, honestly speaking , not have wanted any further discussion on. The topic is “match fixing”. Back in the early 1990’s when I devoted considerable time analyzing even remote things associated with cricket; I was really shocked when a series of well known cricketers were implicated in it. It was disturbing to say the least as I really loved the game and still continue to do so (though the time devoted has come down considerably)    

But it seems that greed is too humane a tendency to buckle down against feeling of patriotism, professionalism or ethics. The incidences over the years have thrown some interesting features about this phenomenon or should I say menace. Let us discuss a few of them.  

First is the variety of ways in which bets can be placed or different ways in which outcomes can be influenced. Those familiar with betting on soccer games especially during the recent FIFA world cup must be aware of odds being placed on more than just the final outcome of the match. It could be number of corners, red cards, yellow cards, goal difference etc. Similarly other sports also provide enough opportunities as well as ways to bet. I will discuss two types of fixing that normally take place in cricket and try to see if both of them finally converge at some point or substitute the other in different formats.