How to pick a winning team

Despite its obvious English elements - player Dmitri Mascarenhas, and chairman Manoj Badale's bona fide British accent - few people know that the sucess story of the Rajasthan Royals was scripted in the pristine Queen's tongue, with strategies chalked out in idyllic County grounds where T20 has been a rage for the last five years.

The world is gushing over the Rajasthan Royals now, but its owners Emerging Media say they always knew their league-leading team would emerge as the IPL's finest. "It was a sound strategy from the beginning — right from the choice of captain to the selection of the squad. We knew we understood the T20 format since we were being based out of England where it is quite popular," says the team's CEO Fraser Castellino. "The biggest high-point has been how our strategy has yielded exact results," adds Ravi Krishnan, vice-chairman of the team.

The Leicester connection

Since 2005, Emerging Media holds the managing rights of Leicestershire Cricket Club — semifinalists in the 2003 T20 Cup in England, and winners in 2004. They brought with them key members from Leicester who now form the support squad — such as psychologist Jeremy Snape, who as a player had hit the winning boundary for the Leicestershire Foxes in the 2004 final against Surrey.

Rajasthan's choice of players at the auctions also had its roots in what they beleived would be a successful formula in the IPL. "We knew from the outset that we needed all-rounders. It was never about gathering superstars, only picking the right man for the right job," Castellino says.

Jaipur was sniggered at, but as the lowliest of all the franchises, they managed to not draw too much attention to their assembling squad, staying mum over the rumoured penalty they would invite for not spending enough. "What can I say, let others splurge as much as they want and get the same result," Castellino shrugs. The Royals made investments of $ 3.5 million, as against the nearly $ 5m bingeing by other francises.

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