Arindam: -Hello viewers!, today, we have in our show “Wine with Arindam”, a very special person, “Mr. Sain” who is the mastermind of creating the format of T-10 Cricket in India, which will be entirely sponsored by Satyam TV Channel and Mahindra Group. Sir, welcome to the show. My first question to you, Sir, how this T-10 cricket is different from the T-20 format.Mr. Sain:- Well, the simple difference is that, here each team will play only 10 overs. There will be only 10 teams in total, out of which 4 teams will be from our neighboring / other countries. The teams will be all from the big cities only, irrespective of the countries. In 2009, the teams are: - Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Dhaka, Colombo, Lahore and Sydney. The last two teams of each tournament will be eliminated and in their place, two other new teams will be included in the next tournament.
Arindam: -Wow, that is really great. In each team, how many players will be there?
Mr. Sain: -There will be 5 players, with the new concept of “Last Man Out”. That is, the last man can bat without any other batsman at the other end. So, in total, you have to take 5 wickets.
Arindam: -What is maximum limitation of overs a bowler can bowl?
Mr. Sain: -It is 2 overs per bowler. That is, everyone have to bowl, including the wicket- keeper also. That is, it is the game of all- rounder. No player can play for other cities. For example, Sachin cannot play for Kolkata, Ganguly cannot play for Hyderabad, and McGrath cannot play for Colombo. You, as a player, can only play for your home town only.
Arindam: -Wow, so, it is a real test, about which city has the local talented cricketers. What about the point system and the Groups, Sir?
Mr. Sain:- for winning a match, a team will get only 1 point, and for an abandoned match, the team will get only 0.5 points. This point system will increase the competition, as a team after winning also will be in a tension, and the team losing a match also has the chance to come back in the competition. There will be 5 groups, with 2 teams each. For example, in Group A, if it is Kolkata and Lahore, then they will play against each other twice in the League. The winner of the group will be selected, in terms of points and the run-rate. So, after each group winner, there will be 5 teams. The first two teams, who will be at the top of that chart in terms of points and run-rate, will automatically go to the Semi-Final. For the rest 3 teams, there will be a league. 3 teams will play with each other twice. From that league, the top 2 teams will reach the Semi-Final.
Arindam:- Is there any Duckworth-Lewis System here? What if, there is a tie in a match, in terms of the scores.
Mr. Sain: -No, there will be no “Duckworth-Lewis” system here. Abandoned means, abandoned, and each team will share 0.5 points. But, for the Final or Semi Final matches, there will be an extra day reserved for it. If there is a tie, then the concept “Super 5 Overs” will be used. 5 bowlers will bowl 1 over each. 5 batsmen will bat 1 over each, with no one at the other end. If you are out, then your team score will be deducted by 5 runs. At the end of super 5 overs, the team which will score more runs than the other, that team will win the match.
Arindam:- Fabulous, Sir. I think that the T-10 cricket will also create a revolution.
Mr.Sain:-Yes, surely, why not? But, owner of a team has to be a Cricketer, who has played for his country. Each Team will have their own website having the details of all local players. Based on the public voting in the Internet, top 5 players will be selected and they will play for that team, to avoid any kind of grudges on the team owner. Ok, now you can end your show, as I have to go. Viewers, watch T-10 cricket and enjoy. Good Night.