Mumbai Indians “won’t be very happy” with the new IPL 2022 format: Aakash Chopra
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra says five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) “won’t be very happy” with the newly-adopted format to be used for the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting March 26.
As per the new design, the IPL 2022 will have ten franchises divided into two groups of five each. Teams will play twice with their fellow group rivals as well as against one team from the other group. They will play their remaining fixtures in one-off arrangements with the other teams of that group.
The groups confirmed on Friday (February 25) were finalised with historic titles won and finals reached being the key metric. To balance the two groups, the IPL authorities have looked to separate the most successful teams.
MI are part of Group A, where they are joined by two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), inaugural season champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) and 2020 runners-up Delhi Capitals (DC). New entrants Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are the fifth franchise part of this group.
For the cross-group clashes also, the IPL governing council have looked to arrange fixtures between equally successful teams. It means MI will also play CSK twice during the league stage. Aakash Chopra has found this an issue and believes it’s unrewarding for a side like MI, who have got a tougher group and campaign to go through.
Also Read – IPL 2022 Groups, Schedule And Format Announced: MI, KKR In Group A; CSK, RCB In Group B
Aakash Chopra raises issue with the IPL 2022 groups and new format.
Aakash Chopra finds new IPL 2022 format unfair on MI
Speaking over his YouTube channel, Chopra said while the idea was to separate most successful teams and form balanced groups, for MI, the scenario is such that they will feel hard done by, especially as they have to play four-time champions CSK twice.
“Mumbai will be playing against Kolkata, Rajasthan, DC, Lucknow twice. They will also play two times against CSK. They will play all the tough teams two times, but play only once against Sunrisers, RCB, Punjab and Gujarat Titans. I think they won’t be very happy,” Aakash Chopra said.
“Look at Hyderabad, they will be playing two times against Kolkata (from group A) and play once against Mumbai, DC, Rajasthan and Lucknow. So they will be playing the tough teams only once, so win or lose it doesn’t matter much. Group A is going to be the tough one,” he added.
Chopra, however, said while not an “ideal” format, it is still better than the ICC World Cup formats used to identify teams going through to the knock-outs. Since the top 4 teams make the playoffs from the collective league stage, not respective groups, the famous commentator believes it makes for a more level playing field.
“It is not like that top teams from each group will make the playoffs. The top four will be decided based on the points gained from all the 14 matches that they play because every team is going to play at least once against each other. That is why I find this system better that World Cup’s, although it still isn’t the ideal one,” he said.
Also Read: IPL 2022: Who is Tilak Varma, Mumbai Indians’ latest uncapped Indian recruit?
The IPL 2022 will be played in a Mumbai-Pune bubble, keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic and need to limit the air travel. Four venues will be used for the tournament that concludes May 29, with Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, DY Patil Stadium, Brabourne Stadium and the MCA International Stadium in Pune hosting the 70 league matches. The venue or venues for the playoffs, as well as a detailed itinerary, is expected in the coming days.