IPL mid-season transfer window a welcome idea, but players jumping ship, time constraint major concerns

In the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Mumbai Indians struggled to find their rhythm and finished fifth on the points’ table, failing to make the knockout stage. Among their roster was New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson who didn’t play a single match during the entire tournament. This was a big downfall for the Kiwi all-rounder whom Mumbai Indians had purchased in 2014 for $750,000 (approximately Rs 5 crore). Back then he was hot property on account of a 36-ball ODI hundred against the Windies, breaking Shahid Afridi’s age-old record. [caption id=“attachment_4239087” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Delhi Daredevils’ Corey Anderson (R) is a prime example of a player who would have benefited from a mid-season transfer window. AFP[/caption] Anderson endured a mediocre 2014 IPL season, and then missed almost the entire 2015 season as he suffered an injury after only four matches. In 2016, even as Mumbai tried different permutations and combinations, Anderson never caught the fancy of his team management and sat twiddling his thumbs even as Mumbai were knocked out. A year later, Delhi Daredevils bought him for Rs 1 crore and put him to good use in the 2017 season as an effective middle-order all-rounder. From none the previous season, Anderson played 11 matches this year. Now, imagine if he had a get-away card that had enabled this transaction mid-season during the 2016 IPL. It would have allowed Mumbai Indians to trade off a player who was surplus to their requirements, and the Daredevils would have injected new energy to salvage their subpar season – a win-win situation for everyone involved. The mid-season transfer rule is also beneficial to the selling franchise because they would be able to recoup some of the cash they doled out in player auctions. In the afore-mentioned scenario, Anderson was put up for auction and Mumbai didn’t get anything back from their $750,000 invested. Yes, they are rich enough to not need this money but other franchises are not equally bankrolled. The biggest positive emanating from this fascinating rule change from IPL 2018 onwards is that it allows an escalation in the standing of the tournament itself. It will inject a breath of fresh air into what otherwise proves to be a long-drawn-out season for everyone involved. And for good reason! When Star Sports bid nearly Rs 17,000 crore for the IPL rights over the next five years, it catapulted this tournament into the proverbial big league of sports entertainment. Of course the likes of Premier League football (England), National Football League (US), National Basketball Association (US) or Major League Baseball (US) earn at least four to eight times more money for their broadcast rights. The IPL, in comparison, is restricted to a two-month window and is only a decade-old property, thus allowing for comparisons to be mounted. To compete in this category though, this re-invention, making room for mid-season transfers, is most aptly timed. In each of the aforementioned American leagues, teams draw players according to a ‘draft’ to maintain parity of competition. However, in-season, they allow the teams to exchange players – with or without cash – in what is termed as ‘trade’. It further helps maintain a healthy sustenance for different teams in terms of competitive demands. In football terms, this is the January transfer window. A prime example is already in front of us. Manchester City are setting a hectic pace in the Premier League. Away from on-field competition, the likes of Manchester United will be looking to reinforce their squad in the upcoming transfer window and looking to mount a serious challenge to City. This practice is mostly common through the entirety of the football world. Imagine a scenario wherein Royal Challengers Bangalore realise their shortcomings in the bowling department. In 2016, just like in umpteen previous seasons, their line-up was heavily skewed in favour of batsmen and they were in urgent need of some different bowling options. A rule such as this would allow Virat Kohli to make that calculative change, setting right the wrongs from the player auctions. There is a downside, though Of course, the biggest drawback of this rule change concerns with the players’ possible desire to jump ship. In the aforementioned case, Anderson didn’t have an option to voice his concerns, nor did any other player who had suffered similarly in past seasons. While publicly asking for a transfer – like Philippe Coutinho did this summer at Liverpool – will have the media filling up the pages with spicy content, it would also make for a discouraging scenario for the franchises involved. This is where the second drawback originates. As earlier mentioned, the IPL has been around for only a decade, and barring a few franchises, not every team has been able to make a deep-rooted connect with its fan base just yet. Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders can boast of this support. The likes of Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad (to an extent) on the other hand, are still only just coping with this aspect of a franchise-based cricket league. Some of this has to do with the paucity of adequate results, and otherwise it is also a result of a cricket overdose. Even so, many franchises opt for high-profile Indian players in the hope of rejuvenating their fan base every year. With a mid-season transfer rule in the offing, the IPL governing council must control how much power players can exert when it comes to pushing through transfers lest it hurts their franchise. Moreover, perhaps the biggest hurdle of this rule change is time constraint. Across the world, the various sports leagues run round the year, while the IPL is bundled into six-to-eight weeks. The basic idea at present is that this transfer window should open up halfway into the tournament, which is after seven games in a 14-match tournament. However, not all teams end up playing the same number of games at the same time. Only this year, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had to wait nearly a week to play their final two games even though they were already out of contention. Local or national elections, even other issues of importance like drought or court hearings, often plague IPL scheduling. The need of the hour is for the governing council to heed this call before the mid-transfer ruling comes into force. Maybe a one-day transfer window at the mid-stage of the tournament is the optimal time frame. Anything longer – like the ill-thought strategic time-outs – and it could prove to be just another farce.