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Feb 5 26 tweets 6 min read
#Thread : )

…You got blood on your face, you big disgrace, waving your banner all over the place… Sing it … Chennaii Chennaii Soooper Kings…

A teaspoon of business, half-a-teaspoon data, strategy for taste, ready to savour. #CSK is a dish born out of its own recipe. (1/25)
The recipe is all about simplicity. The dish itself is the cricket they play, fun they have & emotions that flow.

The pressure cooker 'whistles'. To understand CSK, the first thing to do is keep logic aside. You don't ask your grandma how much salt she put in your stew. (2/25)
Breakfast, cinema, temples, filter coffee, cricket, Thalas – the 6 basic elements that essentially drive the state of Tamil Nadu. #CSK makes it 7. Number 7 belongs to MSD. CSK and MSD make for IPL’s most glorious team-player combo. In that lies the essence of this thread. (3/25)
When I sat down to write this, I considered three things at first: 1) I'll look at player-data & analytics; 2) See what has CSK’s backroom strategy team been like? C) Study what went into building of Brand-CSK?

I thought for a while and then deleted everything I wrote. (4/25)
It occurred to me, this can't be a data-driven exercise. There’s no story if you’re not talking about the emotional joyride CSK has been. The thread was supposed to explain auction preparations. Yes. But let's look at it from a big-picture POV. Only then the story evolves. (5/25)
In 2008, the message from CSK boss N Srinivasan to franchise officials attending the first-ever player auction in Mumbai, was simple: “Get MS Dhoni at all costs. Spend whatever it takes. We'll see about the rest later”.
Talk about an investment! (6/25)
Here’s an intro I wrote for a newspaper on Feb 20, 2008 when CSK bought MSD for a boggling US$1.5m in the first-ever player auction: “If Hilton Towers (hotel where auction was held) were to be Paris’ Musee de Louvre, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was undoubtedly the Monalisa…” (7/25)
If CSK is the cake Tamil Nadu cricket ordered, MSD came like the icing on it. This relationship alone, more than anything, has driven aspirations forward. I’ll share tidbits here that should throw light on how CSK thinks & functions – through the prism of the MS-NS combo. (8/25)
Let’s begin with two small stories that will eventually weave.
Not many know, NS came extremely close to playing the Davis Cup. He was asked to continue playing the circuit for a year, but circumstances forced things differently. At 21 years of age, NS lost his father. (9/25)
The responsibilities of a business seeking urgent attention fell on the young shoulders. He knew he was good at sport, particularly tennis, but better at studies -- a post-graduate degree from Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology. Business had to be his calling. (10/25)
Dhoni was 21 when he approached South Eastern Railway Sports Association for a job. Responsibility was thrust on his shoulders early too. He realised a decent salary is what he desperately wanted, but he could be good at sport too. It would have to remain his calling. (11/25)
At 63 going on 64, NS needed someone who would be a fighter like him. At 26 going on 27, MS needed a guiding light who’d teach him how to fight. Destiny brings people together. The combo went about scripting the CSK philosophy – play to enjoy, win to keep going. (12/25)
When CSK buys a player at auction, data & analytics barely add 10% to strategy. 90% is vibe. Faf du Plessis wasn’t any team’s first-choice T20 opener. Murli Vijay was apparently a Test opener. Shane Watson was apparently too old. Shahrukh Khan was playing List A cricket. (13/25)
I remember a conversation with NS in 2020. "Ruturaj. Watch out for him," he said on phone. The opener had just turned 23, four years of FC cricket behind him. Barring his Vijay Hazare exploits, based on which he made it to India 'A' squad, Ruturaj was still a beginner. (14/25)
CSK might be the only franchise today where captain alone has absolute authority and say. Even Srini doesn't interfere. A part of that credit goes to the late VB Chandrashekhar too. It was the former natl selector who had urged NS to get MSD on board all those years ago. (15/25)
In fact, VB was the only ex-natl selector in the auction room in 2008. No franchise had a retired selector officially on board to take a call on which players to buy. NS wanted Sehwag and the story goes, it is VB who convinced him otherwise. Excel-sheets didn't matter. (16/25)
Who pays Rs 50 lac for Pujara, knowing he won't be in the XI of a T20 game. As I said, emotions dictate, not logic.
Ahead of this mega-auction, there are voices urging CSK to get more data-driven, keeping the future in mind. But the thing is, CSK is all about the present. (17/25)
Sachin adiccha sixer, Sivaji adiccha stretcher (When Sachin hits, you get a sixer, when Sivaji hits, you get a stretcher) -- a dialogue from superstar Rajnikanth's movie.
It is this philosophy I'm talking about. Self-belief is central to this ecosystem's sustenance. (18/25)
CSK have Rs 48 cr left. What do they need urgently? An opener with Ruturaj, two good pacers, a decent allrounder and build rest of the team around it. A Shahrukh & Washy may add flavour & a few youngsters with an eye on future.

How much will this cost? Rs 25-28 crore? (19/25)
They will still have Rs 20-22 cr. Don't be surprised if they go all out for Ishan.

A wicket-keeper-batsman from Jharkhand to step into the shoes of a wicket-keeper-batsman from Jharkhand.

Sounds filmy, right? So what?

En vazhi, thani vazhi (My way is my own). :-)

(20/25)
In 2008, CSK spent 6 cr from a purse of Rs 40 cr on MSD alone. In hindsight, they wouldn't mind adding another 6 to it.

Srinivasan built his business on acquisitions.

The future of a franchise will be built on the past they've built. Legacy is everything. CSK "gets it". (21/25)
The love CSK players receive from fans in Tamil Nadu goes a long way in keeping them motivated. "Chinna Thala" was a darling of the masses. He was the next go-to man after "Thala".

To end up among the highest run-getters ever in IPL is partly thanks to the fandom too. (22/25)
After 6, it is 7.... after Sivaji, it is heaven -- I'm not sure if this is actually a Rajni dialogue or a joke.

But what after cricket's most famous No. 7 calls it a day is perhaps the only thing CSK has to think about.

Then again, it won't be about data & excel-sheets. (23/25)
So deep is this connect, and so unflinchingly affectionate that there'll be massive separation anxieties when the day comes.

Could be this year, could be next, could be the one after. But some day, that umbilical cord will get cut (only on the field, not in CSK) (24/25)
We'll talk about data, logic, numbers, strategies, feedbacks, statistics -- and all the fancy words -- when that day comes.

Right now, while it lasts, just soak in the fun.

#Yellove

(25/25)
Correction...

* IPL salary purse in 2008 was Rs 20 cr. I mentioned 40 by mistake. : )

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More from @KShriniwasRao

Feb 7
#Thread : )

Was torn between two threads I’ve been wanting to do. One on Royal Challengers Bangalore (#RCB) and another on franchises in general who’ve time and again fallen behind in the race to catch up with some other leading teams.
But let me settle for RCB right now. (1/25)
Why RCB? Several reasons, but none more important than this: In 2016, when Diageo took control of RCB following Mallya’s exit, it became the only corporate-run franchise -- not owned by a family or consortium of families or a family-run business enterprise – in the #IPL. (2/25)
Now we have CVC Capital owning the Ahmedabad team. But until now, RCB was the only such entity.

There are positives and negatives to this.
Positives: To be run by management professionals alone; Negative: Risk of vision changing each time the management changed. (3/25)
Read 25 tweets
Feb 4
#Thread time!
The upcoming #IPL player auction is on everybody’s mind. Cricketers are busy giving interviews, franchises are busy preparing excel-sheets, geeks are busy doling out stats, media is busy building it for the fans & fans are busy lapping it all up. The works! (1/25)
Let’s take a look at two unique and most important ways a franchise tends to prepare for a player auction. A) Talent scouting; B) Mock auctions. We’ll look at this thread from the perspective of @mipaltan . Why? Because on both fronts, they were first to set this trend. (2/25)
John Wright, Robin Singh, Paras Mhambrey (moved to Team India now), Zaheer Khan, Kiran More, TA Sekar, Parthiv Patel, R Vinay Kumar -- a single factor binds all of them. They spend hundreds of hours every year scouring talents across India & abroad, for Mumbai Indians. (3/25)
Read 25 tweets
Jan 26
When selecting a team, don't pick a player just to show opportunities are given. Pick if you genuinely believe in the talent, and back him even if he struggles initially.

Only thing good players need most is confidence & self-belief.

Indian cricket needs to "invest".

+
If you're picking a Ruturaj or Venkatesh, be extremely sure why exactly are they being picked, for what role. And stick with them. A match or two doesn't tell what potential a good cricketer has.

Sourav Ganguly was first picked in 1992. But he came good only in 1996.

+
Figure out if Shikhar Dhawan is good enough to play the 2023 WC. He's been a great ODI asset. If he's in the plans, let him know his spot in the team is non-negotiable. If he's not, tell him now.

By not telling, you're neither doing justice to Shikhar nor the newcomers.

+
Read 7 tweets
Jan 24
#Thread
Why I think #IPL should go to SA…
#BCCI has said that as much as possible, they will try and host IPL-2022 in India, unless Covid forces a shift again. Their desperation to host it in India is understandable. After all, it is the ‘Indian’ Premier League. (1/25)
However, I’ll try and share my thoughts on why I don’t think IPL should be hosted in India this season either. Point No.1: If the IPL if once again forced to be played without crowds, then what is the single-most important priority? It must look good on television. Right? (2/25)
Only if crowds are allowed for matches does hosting of IPL in India make any sense. If it’s all about watching the tournament on TV, doesn’t matter whether it’s played in the UAE, Sri Lanka or South Africa – as long as it caters to India’s prime-time viewing. (3/25)
Read 25 tweets
Jan 20
#Thread on #IPL franchise sponsorships.
Let's start with MI’s newest deal.

Bangalore-based fin-tech company ‘Slice’ – an app-based credit card challenger – has come on board as Mumbai Indians’ main jersey sponsor. Deal is being spoken of as highest in IPL's 15-yr history. (1/25)
Mumbai Indians have not shared the numbers in their press release but that’s not stopping the market from talking about it. The Slice deal is said to be close to Rs 100 cr for the next three years, which means Rs 30+ crore per IPL season, starting 2022. (2/25)
At the numbers I’m mentioning, the deal earns Mumbai Indians annual sponsorship revenues in excess of Rs 100 cr per season. And, further I’m told, there are bonus clauses in the sponsorship contract if the team wins. (3/25)
Read 25 tweets
Jan 18
#Thread
Pace at which technology is growing, how pandemic has quickened OTT into our homes, expectation of 5G rollout in telecom sector over next 24 months & how cricket is in the middle of it all this -- with technology as backdrop -- is evolving into a fascinating story. (1/25)
There are some interesting developments taking place behind the scenes in broadcast sector and what all of this culminates into shall have a massive impact on how we consume our cricket. The game earning top-dollar will merely be a by-product of a highly engaging market. (2/25)
I’ll try and share here how I see cricket's media rights playing out over the next eight to 10 months and industry trends that’ll make us sit up and take note as things flow. Action begins in February when BCCI rolls out the media rights tender for IPL. (3/25)
Read 25 tweets

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