IPL @ IIM Indore (Manoranjan Ka Baap)

So what if the Champions League (20/20) got cancelled; we at Planet I designed our very own IPL. The concept was new but the excitement for cricket was just the same. A combined event by our Marketing Club (Mercur-i) and Sports Committee, IPL was a bucket full of energy.

Rules of the Game:
Oh, don't worry, I wont list down loads of bullet points here like an ICC Rule Book. Let me just get you acquainted with the event. 12 Teams of 10 members each (6 for the cricket team + 4 for the Marketing) were formed and divided into 4 groups. If you think the teams were too small, think again! A ground the size of a tennis court and just 6 overs to slog. You've got a thrilling watch for your eyes.

The rules kinda reminded me of cricket at home during my childhood. I'm sure many of you have had innovative rules of your own. Ball hits the boundary wall, Superb Six! If it goes over the wall directly, You're back to the pavilion. :-) Last man allowed to play alone, and you can run him out at both ends. Remember such memories of childhood?
Our version of IPL had some such rules. I guess that's what made the game more interesting. We even picked up the idea of Power Play. A free over of smashing where you can only be run-out or skied out ( that's when u hit the ball over the hostel's 2nd floor).

Round 1 was intra-group, where each team played 4 matches. The best team from each, went on to the semifinals. The final 4 were Eagles, Ab tak Chhappan, Lemon Brothers and Master Batters. The tournament favourites "Eagles" were able to pull off a win in the finals, when they seemed to be struggling a bit for the first time. Ab tak Chhappan, which had an immense fan-following sure entertained their friends out their.

Cash (Read Mercuri Dollars) -
IPL wasn't just about winning the ball game. It was also about marketing your teams. Though this idea got a slow start, there was a bunch of creativity towards the end. The media up for buy (Each team had restricted amount of Mercuri Dollars and the media usage had to be paid for) consisted of posters, pamphlets, jingles, videos and even outdoor events like plays/speeches.

It all started with a few gr8 team names, names like Master Batters, Ab Tak Chhappan, The Lemon Brothers (I heard they even served Lemonade one day), GAY Men (Gaonwaale Angry Young Men); A few really good slogans, for example "Kyunki Hum Kisi Ka Ehsaan Nahi Lete" (MasterBatters), "The Nerds who love Playing with Balls" (Community Service). I'd love to put a few posters of teams Community Service and Master Batters up on this post, but my blog would start getting flagged for obscenity. :) I'll have to get publishing rights from the team managers b4 I can actually put up some of their creativity online. :)

Something Different -
Team ChidimaarR put up oval boards on the boundary and challenged the opponent teams' batsmen to hit them. The Prize?? CHOCOLATES!
One of the IPL teams blew up some creatively shaped balloons (if you know what I mean :-)) and hung them near the playing field.

In all, the online newsgroups at IIM Indore were flooded with publicity stints. And spectators were loving it. A round of applause for Sportscom & Mercur-i. Let's hope this fun-filled event becomes an annual fiesta.