India's batting legend Sachin <keyword id="6391" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="tendulkar" source="Orion">Tendulkar</keyword> has omitted the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketer Virat Kohli and Mumbai Indians skipper <keyword id="13937" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohit-sharma" source="Orion">Rohit Sharma</keyword> from his list of the "Best Playing XI" from the just-concluded IPL 2022 season. While Gujarat Titans, led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya, went on to lift the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night defeating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets, the Rohit Sharma-led MI had the worst season this year, finishing 10th and last. Tendulkar said his list was based purely on the performance of this IPL season and had nothing to do with previous editions. And, in this edition of the IPL, both <keyword id="445" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sharma" source="Orion">Sharma</keyword> and Kohli performed miserably, even though the latter's side made it to the playoffs stage. "It's got nothing to do with players' reputation or their past performances. It is purely based on their performances this season and what they have been able to achieve this season," Tendulkar said on his YouTube channel. Tendulkar's team, led by Hardik Pandya, has the likes of charismatic England batter Jos Buttler -- who scored a whopping 863 runs for the Royals --, <keyword id="17805" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shikhar-dhawan" source="Orion">Shikhar Dhawan</keyword>, KL Rahul, David Miller, Liam Livingstone, Dinesh Karthik, <keyword id="62359" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rashid-khan" source="Orion">Rashid Khan</keyword>, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and <keyword id="798176" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yuzvendra-chahal" source="Orion">Yuzvendra Chahal</keyword>. "Hardik was the standout captain this season. He was clear in his mind, proactive. I always say that don't regret, celebrate. If you are able to celebrate, it means the captain is outsmarting the opposition and that is what Hardik did," opined the legend. Tendulkar said that he would pick a left-right combination at the top of the batting order, and that Buttler and Dhawan were the best this season. With Buttler emerging the second-highest run-getter ever in a single IPL season and Dhawan also scoring 460 runs in 14 matches, the choice was easy to make for the former cricketer. Tendulkar then picked Lucknow Super Gianst skipper KL Rahul at No.3. The hot-shot batter scored 616 runs in 15 innings and was only surpassed by Buttler this season. "I really like his stability and consistency. He is a player who can pick singles and when he wants to hit sixes he has the ability to do that as well," said Tendulkar. Tendulkar's logic behind bringing Pandya at No. 4 and his teammate David Miller at No. 5 was that a left-right combination lent solidity in the middle overs. "Bringing another left hander here because the left-right combination is important. There are a number of names who were there but I am going to play David Miller. He showed tremendous form, very good consistency and played some crucial knocks. What I observed this season was that he was able to hit towards all sides of the ground. It was proper cricketing shots and it was a treat to watch." At No. 6, Tendulkar had hard-hitter Liam Livingstone, followed by RCB's slog-ver specialist Dinesh Karthik. "(Livingston) has the ability to hit sixes, dangerous player. He is very clear in his mind and backs himself. Dinesh Karthik showed extraordinary consistency this season. I felt he looked calm and composed. He looked in control," Tendulkar said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/uber-eats-fired-indian-origin-delivery-partner-for-allegedly-arriving-10-minutes-late-after-working-96-hours/articleshow/91908619.cms">Uber Eats fired Indian-origin delivery partner for allegedly arriving 10 minutes late after working 96 hours</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/wheat-export-ban-seems-to-be-taking-effect-as-atta-prices-soften/articleshow/91908520.cms">Wheat export ban seems to be taking effect as atta prices soften</a>

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma missing in Tendulkar's 'Best Playing XI' for IPL 2022

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named left-arm spin all-rounder <keyword id="2583887" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="axar-patel" source="Orion">Axar Patel</keyword> as the replacement for senior left-arm spin all-rounder <keyword id="6359948" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ravindra-jadeja" source="Orion">Ravindra Jadeja</keyword> in the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE. "<keyword id="4167" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="jadeja" source="Orion">Jadeja</keyword> has sustained a right knee injury and is ruled out of the tournament. He is currently under the supervision of the BCCI medical team. His replacement, Axar Patel was earlier named as one of the standbys in the squad and will join the team in Dubai soon," said the BCCI in an official statement. "India's squad for Asia Cup: <keyword id="13937" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohit-sharma" source="Orion">Rohit Sharma</keyword> (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), <keyword id="6354486" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="virat-kohli" source="Orion">Virat Kohli</keyword>, <keyword id="496245" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="suryakumar-yadav" source="Orion">Suryakumar Yadav</keyword>, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/top-market-cap-companies-in-the-world/slidelist/93952579.cms">Top 10 companies in the world by market cap</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/hotel-industry-body-cautions-restaurants-over-zomato-pay-swiggy-diner/articleshow/93952919.cms">Hotel industry body cautions restaurants over Zomato Pay, Swiggy Diner</a>

Asia Cup 2022: Ravindra Jadeja out of tournament due to right knee injury, Axar Patel named replacement

<ul><li><keyword id="6354756" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BCCI" source="Orion">BCCI</keyword> names <keyword id="1807915" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohammed-Siraj" source="Orion">Mohammed Siraj</keyword> as a replacement for <keyword id="15125020" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jasprit-Bumrah-" source="Orion">Jasprit Bumrah.</keyword></li><li>Bumrah was ruled out of the series due to a back injury.</li><li>The injury effectively rules him out of the T20 World Cup.</li></ul>The All-India Senior Selection Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday named Mohd. Siraj as a replacement for injured Jasprit Bumrah for the remainder of the T20I series against South Africa. Bumrah has sustained a back injury and is currently under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. Earlier, before the first T20I between India and South Africa at Thiruvananthapuram, the BCCI had said that Bumrah was ruled out of Wednesday's match after complaining of back pain during practice session on Tuesday. "Jasprit Bumrah complained of back pain during India's practice session on Tuesday. The BCCI Medical Team assessed him. He is ruled out of the first T20I," BCCI had said in its statement on Twitter. India squad for South Africa T20Is: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/e-commerce-sales-will-drive-credit-cards-spends-in-september-says-report/articleshow/94538013.cms">E-commerce sales will drive credit cards spends in September, says report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/amid-concerns-of-jio-airtel-duopoly-analysts-suggest-new-telecom-bill-empowers-govt-to-maintain-competition/articleshow/94502923.cms">Amid concerns of Jio-Airtel duopoly, analysts suggest new telecom bill empowers govt to maintain competition</a>

Mohammed Siraj has replaced Jasprit Bumrah in India’s squad for the remaining South Africa T20I matches

After rain caused the first T20I between <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and <keyword id="22501" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="new-zealand" source="Orion">New Zealand</keyword> at Sky Stadium to be washed out, it may again play a spoilsport when the two teams will be playing in the second match at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Though New Zealand skipper <keyword id="269650" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kane-williamson" source="Orion">Kane Williamson</keyword> was hopeful of sunshine coming in Sunday's sell-out match at his hometown, that may not be the case. With rain predicted for all day and precipitation levels between 40-97 per cent, there is a possibility of rain again halting India and New Zealand's quest for rebuilding their T20I sides. One would be hoping that <keyword id="3142448" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rishabh-pant" source="Orion">Rishabh Pant</keyword> gets a decent run as an opener against New Zealand. Pant, who burst on the scene with blistering performances in IPL 2016 just after catching everyone's eye with his exploits in U19 World Cup earlier that year in Bangladesh, was largely in and out of initial playing eleven from Asia Cup till the Men's T20 World Cup as India preferred finishing touches of Dinesh Karthik. But now with Karthik not in the squad for this series, one could see Pant opening the batting as India search for batters who can given them a flying start in power-play. But with <keyword id="2064892" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ishan-kishan" source="Orion">Ishan Kishan</keyword> and <keyword id="6362888" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shubman-gill" source="Orion">Shubman Gill</keyword>, uncapped in the T20I format, as the obvious looking opening options, it should be interesting to see the role clarity which India will give to left-handed Pant, who hasn't cracked the T20I code yet, as compared to Tests and ODIs. Hardik Pandya will be itching to show his leadership skills as the clamour grows for him to be made India's T20I captain till 2024 T20 World Cup, in a bid to change the side's fortunes in the format. His New Zealand counterpart, <keyword id="58375" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="williamson" source="Orion">Williamson</keyword>, will be keen to improve his strike-rate and usefulness in the shortest format of the game. Traditionally, Bay Oval has been a high-scoring ground for T20Is. All of this can happen in front of a sold-out crowd provided the rain stays away for cricket to happen. Squads India: Hardik Pandya (captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, <keyword id="496245" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="suryakumar-yadav" source="Orion">Suryakumar Yadav</keyword>, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik. New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/ind-vs-nz-first-t20i-called-off-due-to-rain/articleshow/95599969.cms">Ind vs NZ: First T20I called off due to rain</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/india-on-course-to-become-worlds-second-largest-economy-by-2050-says-gautam-adani/articleshow/95622223.cms">India on course to become world’s second largest economy by 2050, says Gautam Adani</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/all-is-not-that-well-say-market-experts-even-as-stocks-chase-new-highs/articleshow/95599973.cms">‘All is not that well’, say market experts even as stocks chase new highs</a>

Rain may disrupt the second T20I between India and New Zealand

The second T20I between <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and <keyword id="6355117" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="south-africa" source="Orion">South Africa</keyword> at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in <keyword id="35727" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="guwahati" source="Orion">Guwahati</keyword> was an absolute run-fest, with an aggregate of 458 runs giving the capacity crowd their money's worth. But it was not just the sizzling knocks of <keyword id="496245" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="suryakumar-yadav" source="Orion">Suryakumar Yadav</keyword>, KL Rahul and David Miller which made headlines from the match. There were two interruptions -- one each in the first and second innings -- which made waves on social media. The first one, happened during India's innings after South Africa inserted them into batting first. At the end of the seventh over, visuals of ground staff running quickly on the field with sticks and a bucket in hand were seen to remove a snake which was making its presence felt at the outfield. Left-arm pace all-rounder Wayne Parnell, who was fielding at extra cover, was quick to spot the snake and alerted all on the field about it. The unusual incident left several fans amused, with former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop tweeting with a snake emoji, "I have so many questions." There were no further interruptions in India's innings after the ground staff took away the uninvited intruder from the field. Eventually, Suryakumar Yadav and K.L Rahul became the stars in a collective commanding batting show from India to make 237/3, their fourth-highest score in all T20Is. In front of a jam-packed crowd, Rahul sizzled with an eye-pleasing 57 of 28 balls, before Suryakumar brought out full carnage of 360 degree shots to make 61 off just 22 balls. Captain <keyword id="13937" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rohit-sharma" source="Orion">Rohit Sharma</keyword>, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik played their parts well as India made merry and enthralled the fans by feasting on an ordinary bowling performance from South Africa, barring Keshav Maharaj's 2/23 in four overs. Then, in defence of 237/3, the proceedings came to an abrupt halt in the third over of second innings. One of the floodlight towers in the stadium went off, meaning the players went off the field. Play was stopped for just ten minutes before the lights came back on and match began. "It's out of our control (on the floodlight failure). It kind of just gave us a little bit of time of process what happened. (It) gave us an opportunity to chat about in the powerplay after the first couple of overs went India's way. And then there was the issue with the snake as well (in India's innings). I thought there was a lot going on there," said South Africa batter David Miller in the post-match press conference. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiobook-a-4g-enabled-budget-laptop-is-expected-to-launch-soon-at-15000/articleshow/94613338.cms">JioBook, a 4G-enabled budget laptop is expected to launch soon at ₹15,000</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-5g-services-launched-in-eight-cities-the-entire-country-to-be-covered-by-2024/articleshow/94579199.cms">Airtel 5G launched in eight cities, entire country to be covered by 2024</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-pixel-7-pro-official-video-reveals-design-and-colour-options-ahead-of-the-launch/articleshow/94526883.cms">Google Pixel 7 Pro official video reveals design and colour options ahead of the launch</a>

Floodlight failure and a snake on the field cause interruptions in the second T20I at Guwahati

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> on Thursday announced an 18-man squad for the T20I series against West Indies, beginning on July 29 in Trinidad with big names -- Virat <keyword id="6360637" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kohli" source="Orion">Kohli</keyword>, Jasprit <keyword id="2270089" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bumrah" source="Orion">Bumrah</keyword> and <keyword id="798176" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yuzvendra-chahal" source="Orion">Yuzvendra Chahal</keyword> -- missing out. Kohli, who was out of the 1st ODI against England with a groin injury, has not been included for the T20Is in the Caribbean as well. However, BCCI in its official release hasn't mentioned whether he has been rested or not picked due to injury. On the other hand, the names of pacer Bumrah and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal are also missing in the squad. The squad will be led by <keyword id="13937" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohit-sharma" source="Orion">Rohit Sharma</keyword> while KL <keyword id="329" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rahul" source="Orion">Rahul</keyword> and <keyword id="489637" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kuldeep-yadav" source="Orion">Kuldeep Yadav</keyword>, who had missed the home series against South Africa due to respective injuries, have made their comeback. However, their inclusion in the squad is subject to fitness. "The inclusion of KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav is subject to fitness," a BCCI release said. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant, who have been rested from the ODI leg, will play the T20Is. The squad also sees the return of veteran off-spinner R Ashwin, who hasn't featured in India's T20I side since the home series against New Zealand last November. After a long hiatus from the white ball group, Ashwin had made a comeback in the T20I World Cup last year but has not been a regular fixture in the side since, with injuries also playing a part in his exclusion His return will boost up the spin department that also has the Kuldeep, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and <keyword id="6359948" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ravindra-jadeja" source="Orion">Ravindra Jadeja</keyword>. IPL sensation Umran Malik, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson, who were a part of India's squad for the first T20I against England, don't find a place in the squad. The selectors have rewarded left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh after his impressive debut, including him in the seam bowling department along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel. Having made his T20I debut in Ireland, Malik was also part of the recently concluded T20I series in England, which India won 2-1. In his lone outing in Nottingham, he conceded 1 for 56 off his four overs. On the other hand, took 2 for 18 in an impressive debut in the opening T20I, when he troubled England's openers with late swing. India are set to play three ODIs and five T20Is on the tour of the Caribbean. India had earlier named an ODI squad, which will be led by <keyword id="17805" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shikhar-dhawan" source="Orion">Shikhar Dhawan</keyword> in absence of regular members. The first T20I will be played at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, followed by the other two games, both of which will take place at the Warner Park in St Kitts. The series will conclude with the final two games to be played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Florida. India's squad for 5 T20Is: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/why-and-which-countries-would-want-to-trade-with-india-in-rupees/articleshow/92856587.cms">Decoded: How the rupee trade settlement is tied to India’s trade deficit and forex reserves</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/amazons-prime-day-offers-are-trying-to-catch-em-young-with-special-membership-discounts/articleshow/92873854.cms">Amazon's Prime Day offers are trying to catch em young with special membership discounts</a>

India announce squad for West Indies T20Is; Kohli, Bumrah, Chahal miss out (Ld)

<ul><li>NFT transaction activity has <a href="https://go.chainalysis.com/rs/503-FAP-074/images/state-of-web3.pdf">declined</a> from $3.9 billion in February 2022 to less than $1 billion in March 2022.</li><li>Amitabh Bacchan’s BeyondLife.Club, Salman Khan’s Chill Bull NFTs and Vishal Malhotra’s NFT funded film Ilm made headlines in 2022.</li><li>Blue Chip celebrity NFTs are more viable for investment than star NFTs which provide a one-time use case.</li></ul>We have come a long way from when Bollywood actors seemed like the real stars, inaccessible and in a galaxy that was out of reach of the laity. Thanks to social media and digital technologies, we now may have a ‘problem of plenty’. With NFTs, blockchain-based digital collectibles, fans now have access to digital avatars of Bollywood celebrities and can even attend their film premieres. Last year, many Indian celebrities launched their NFTs or Non-Fungible-Tokens, a unique way of selling their art online. It could be a poem, a song, a movie dialogue or even a movie premiere. However, NFTs have seen a steep drop in interest <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=NFTs">since last year</a>. NFT transaction activity <a href="https://go.chainalysis.com/rs/503-FAP-074/images/state-of-web3.pdf">crashed</a> by three-quarters to less than $1 billion in March from $3.9 billion in February. How have Bollywood NFTs fared after this crash? Fiat vs crypto NFTs can be bought either with fiat money – regular money such as INR – or with cryptocurrency. NFTs that were bought using fiat money have been less affected by the market crash. For instance, Guardian Link, a platform which manages Amitabh Bachchan’s <keyword id="11050714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nft-platform" source="Orion">NFT platform</keyword> BeyondLife.Club was one of the first to offer NFTs in fiat money. Amitabh NFTs were sold for $1 million in 2021. “Over 12,000 NFTs were sold within 45 seconds of going live. Guardian Link also provides credibility checks for these celebrity NFTs so that they can neither be replicated nor sold anywhere else,” said Arjun Reddy, chief technology officer at Guardian Link. For NFTs that were bought via digital currencies, the story gets a little complicated. Utility &amp; engagement drive NFT value How well NFTs have fared is dependent on multiple factors – utility of NFTs, star power, star engagement and credibility of the platform. If the NFTs do not provide lasting use cases for customers, they are unlikely to be popular. ‘83’ – a film that starred Ranveer Singh – in January sold all its digital collectibles within an hour of launch on ‘Social Swag,’ a platform for customers to learn directly from celebrities and not an NFT platform. Actor Salman Khan released ‘Chill Bull NFT collection’ in July – based on his 2019 movie ‘Dabbang 3’ – through <a href="https://www.bollycoin.com">Bollycoin</a>, the star’s NFT platform. However the utilities of these NFTs remain nil with no reference to them on the official <a href="https://market.bollycoin.com/assets/0xF298fEA19b400F20c61194e95aEB2421B3C12796/102">website</a>. Business Insider had not heard back from Bollycoin at the time of publishing. “Art should always be backed by lasting utility. Often celebrities launch their NFTs and go radio silent. But if an NFT buyer wants to sell the NFT of a Bollywood digital avatar, would they be able to do so? They should have an active NFT community,” said Sandesh Suvarna, vice president, WazirX NFT marketplace. Vishal Malhotra, creator of Asia’s first NFT-funded film ‘Ilm,’ meaning knowledge; and also the first actor to launch his NFT in India, did just that. “Ilm-the world’s first NFT-funded film has been certified by the Censor Board of India. Even during the bear market, over 50% of the film NFT passes have been sold. The bear market allows NFTs to go mainstream, bringing down their price. A Sholay film NFT has classic value for a Bollywood fan and will always have incremental resale value,” Malhotra said. Fans who own the ‘Ilm’ NFT passes will have a lifetime access for all his future film premieres, Malhotra added. Of blue chips &amp; star power The ‘Blue Chip NFTs’ – those NFTs that have the backing of big names, venture capitalists and big organizations – would still make for good buys is the general consensus. <a href="https://www.rario.com">Rario</a>, a blue chip NFT platform has over 20,000 users worldwide. They have partnered with cricketers like Rishabh Pant, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dinesh Karthik, and are backed by top global cricket leagues. “Esports is growing rapidly. Cricket fans want to be associated with their favourite players. At Rario, you can gain access to their tournaments, merchandise and even host your own virtual tournaments. We have partnered with world’s cricket mega celebrities,” said Ankit Wadhwa, CEO of Rario. The star power of a mega celebrity like Amitabh Bachchan, coupled with the backing of a well-known decentralised exchange like Guardian Link seems to be the winning combination for owning a lucrative NFT. Amitabh Bachchan’s NFT ‘<a href="https://marketplace.beyondlife.club/order/details/l4bwBKRxFnDm2DoP/9YEpmRnhnjymzQ87">BigB Punks #1633</a>’ that sold at $10 a piece last November, is currently priced at $1500/piece. Celebrity engagement One of the most important factors that determine the value and demand of celebrity NFTs is the extent of engagement by the celebrity. Dhruv Saxena, chief strategy officer of Singapore-based NFT celebrity platform <a href="https://www.fantico.io">Fantico</a>, deals with NFTs of Indian movie stars such as Kamal Hassan, Madhavan, and lyricist Javed Akhtar. He believes investor overlap between crypto and NFTs does exist, hence buyers are more cautious. “This is very typical after any ‘bull run’ days. Value can only be created by creators or their fans. While fans will continue to like whatever it is they do, creators (artists, influencers, actors, musicians, or athletes) will use this new medium to create more supply,” added Saxena.

Have Bollywood NFTs lost their glamour during the cryptocrash?

<ul><li><keyword id="19692" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ravi-Shastri">Ravi Shastri</keyword> hints at <keyword id="6354832" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ms-dhoni">MS Dhoni</keyword>'s future in the T-20 World Cup</li><li>Says selections will come down to form and experience</li><li>IPL performance will be a key factor</li></ul>In an interview to CNN News18, team India head coach Ravi Shastri said former India skipper MS <keyword id="6397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dhoni">Dhoni</keyword> could play World Cup T20 if he performs in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). Shastri said Dhoni wouldn't 'impose himself' on the team, adding that his form in the IPL will decide his future. For the 2019 ODI World Cup, MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik were picked ahead of Rishabh Pant, primarily because of Karthik's skill at wicket-keeping. Shastri said form and experience in the middle order will be the key factors in the decision between Dhoni, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson this time. MS Dhoni had announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2014. Shastri also said that if even Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, the other two contenders have a good IPL, along with Dhoni; the selectors must look at which keeper has the goods to perform well in Australia, which hosts the tournament. Dhoni has the experience, is extremely fit for a 38-year-old and probably would like to exit on a high note after winning the T20 World title.

Ravi Shastri casts doubt on MS Dhoni's selection for the T-20 World Cup

<ul><li>The team which loses the semi finals gets a cheque of $800,000 from ICC to make their way this far.</li><li>The winners in the <keyword id="6362155" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICC-World-Cup">ICC World Cup</keyword> as going to get a whopping prize money of $4 million.</li></ul> The Indian cricket team which had failed to defeat New Zealand at the World Cup semi finals isn’t going to return home empty handed. The team which loses the semi finals gets a cheque of $800,000 from ICC to make their way this far. The winners in the ICC World Cup as going to get a whopping prize money of $4 million and a gold trophy — which is usually remains with the ICC itself. Kicked out of finals The fate of the match was sealed with M S Dhoni’s runout in the 49th over after a magnificent 50 runs off 72 balls! But the 239 total set by New Zealand was too tough to chase. India were at 92 runs with 6 wickets down and looking down the barrel before Jadeja joined Dhoni and raised hopes of a possible win in the nail-biting match. In the end, their partnership of 116 runs was the highest in the history of World Cup for the seventh wicket. But the disaster started as Rohit Sharma (1), skipper Virat Kohli (1), opener K L Rahul (1) and Dinesh Karthik (6) were bowled over by Matt Henry and Trent Boult. Second semi-final loses buzz The World Cup matches lost their sheen after India’s exit. The road that leads to the pavilion at the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium wore an almost deserted look as hosts England and Australia clashed in the second semi-final of the 2019 World Cup on Thursday. All the Indians who had booked tickets to check who would qualify and play India, are no longer interested in the outcome of this game. (With IANS)

Team India lost the World Cup semis against New Zealand, but will still win $800,000

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the main cricket governing body in India has announced the squad for the upcoming World Cup 2019. Rishabh Pant and Ambati rayudu have not managed to make it to the 15-member squad. Vijay Shankar has been named as the second all-rounder in the squad along with Hardik Pandeya. Seven players who were there in the 2015 world cup squad have managed to make it to the 2019 team. Prithvi Shaw has also missed the spot despite promising performance in the home season earlier this year. India has included only three full-time fast bowlers in the squad. Two-full time spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been included in the playing 11. The BCCI in its press conference said that they have picket up the most balanced team for the upcoming world cup. The decision to select the 15-member squad is made following a BCCI meeting led by MSK Prasad, chief coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli. The decision has been made public in a press conference by BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary in Mumbai. The Cricket World Cup will be held in England and Wales from May 30-July 14. Australia won the Cricket World Cup 2015 against New Zealand by 7 wickets. Here's the <keyword id="8675" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-cricket-team">Indian cricket team</keyword> for the <keyword id="2646248" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICC-World-Cup-2019">ICC World Cup 2019</keyword>: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MSD (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Shami Rishabh Pant has been left out of the squad and Dinesh Kartik has been included as the second wicket keeper. The selectors said that wicket keeping is an important component and in an extreme case where either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Kartik are to be included in the playing 11 in absence of MS Dhoni, we would like Dinesh Kartik to play. India will begin its campaign on 5 June 2019 against South Africa. It will play Australia on 9 June followed by New Zealand on 13 June and Pakistan on 16 June. India's arch rival Pakistan is going to announce its team on 18 April.

ICC World Cup 2019: Indian team announced

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/58072622.cms" />After loosing both games last season again Raina led Lions, what a way to comeback! That was some hitting from Lynn. 
 
Tweet Alert! 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL?src=hash">#IPL</a> Match 3 - <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders">@KKRiders</a> 184/0 (14.5 ov) beat <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions">@TheGujaratLions</a> 183/4 by 10 wickets. <a href="https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir">@GautamGambhir</a> (76 off 48), <a href="https://twitter.com/lynny50">@lynny50</a> (93 off 41) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash">#KKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/IvvHOzM4TI">pic.twitter.com/IvvHOzM4TI</a>
	— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/850400801843535876">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		The big day is finally here. Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Knights?src=hash">#Knights</a> have prepared well &amp; are ready to take on <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions">@TheGujaratLions</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLvKKR?src=hash">#GLvKKR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DusKiDahaad?src=hash">#DusKiDahaad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmiKKR?src=hash">#AmiKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/kLWj97647c">pic.twitter.com/kLWj97647c</a>
	— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders/status/850197606428954625">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Captain <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SureshRaina?src=hash">#SureshRaina</a>​ was in full flow during the practice session. All geared up for our 1st match against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKR?src=hash">#KKR</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GameMaariChhe?src=hash">#GameMaariChhe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLvKKR?src=hash">#GLvKKR</a> <a href="https://t.co/qEU3weWMt7">pic.twitter.com/qEU3weWMt7</a> — The <keyword id="1641060" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat-lions">Gujarat Lions</keyword> (@TheGujaratLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGujaratLions/status/850264389978431490">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
 
Complete Squads 
 
<keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> 
 
Robin Uthappa(w), Gautam Gambhir(c), <keyword id="66306" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manish-Pandey">Manish Pandey</keyword>, Chris Lynn, <keyword id="18938" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Yusuf-Pathan">Yusuf Pathan</keyword>, Suryakumar Yadav, Chris Woakes, <keyword id="793467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunil-Narine">Sunil Narine</keyword>, Piyush Chawla, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Yadav, <keyword id="6382259" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andre-Russell">Andre Russell</keyword>, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Ankit Rajpoot, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Darren Bravo, Rishi Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, Sayan Ghosh, Ramsingh Sanjay Yadav, Colin de Grandhomme 
 
Gujarat Lions 
 
Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina(c), Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik(w), Ishan Kishan, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Koushik, Shadab Bashir Jakati, Nathu Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Andrew Tye, Ravindra Jadeja, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Manpreet Gony, Jason Roy, Munaf Patel, Chirag Suri, Akshdeep Nath, Basil Thampi, Shubham Agarwal, Tejas Baroka, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya 
 
(<a href="http://oddreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/3454768.jpg">Image Source</a>)

LIVE IPL 2017, Gujarat Lions vs Kolkata Knight Riders: The opening pair of Kolkata just finished Gujarat

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51748783.cms" />Everything comes at a price even cricket players. Indian Premier League (IPL) season kicked-off amid glitzy ceremony and eight teams will be contesting with each other to win the coveted trophy. 
 
Preparations for the IPL extravaganza had begun long time back with auction of cricketers from India and across the world (minus Pakistan). 
 Owners of the eight teams- Delhi Daredevils, <keyword id="13880" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai-Indians">Mumbai Indians</keyword>, Kings XI Punjab, <keyword id="1494441" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunrisers-Hyderabad">Sunrisers Hyderabad</keyword>, <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword>, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions- retained and even poached players from other teams by bidding a higher amount. 
 
The bidding process threw many surprises as players like Nathu Singh were netted for Rs 3.2 crore. Even M Ashwin was auctioned for Rs 4.5 crore from previous Rs 10 lakh. 
 
Here is a complete list of players who were auctioned for crore of rupees, taking the whole cricket festival a notch higher 
 
 
 
Shane Watson- Rs 9.50 crore 
 
Kane Richardson-Rs 2 crore 
 
Stuart Binny-Rs 2 crore 
 
Jaydev Unadkat- Rs 1.60 crore 
 
John Hastings-Rs 1.30 crore 
 
Mohit Sharma-Rs 6.50 crore 
 
Kyle Abbot- Rs 2.10 crore 
 
Pawan Negi-Rs 8.50 crore 
 
Chris Morris-Rs 7 crore 
 
Carlos Brathwaite- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Sanju Samson- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Karun Nair- Rs 4 crore 
 
Rishabh Pant- Rs 1.90 crore 
 
Jos Buttler- Rs 3.80 crore 
 
Nathu Singh- Rs 3.20 crore 
 
Tim Southee- Rs 2.50 crore 
 
Krunal Pandya- Rs 2 crore 
 
Kishore Kamath- Rs 1.40 crore 
 
Yuvraj Singh- Rs 7 crore 
 
Ashish Nehra- Rs 5.50 crore 
 
Deepak Hooda- Rs 4.20 crore 
 
Barinder Sran- Rs 1.20 crore 
 
Aditya Tare- Rs 1.20 crore 
 
Mitchell Marsh- Rs 4.80 crore 
 
Murugan Ashwin- Rs 4.50 crore 
 
Ishant Sharma-Rs 3.80 crore 
 
Kevin Pietersen- Rs 3.50 crore 
 
Irfan Pathan- Rs 1 crore 
 
Thisara Perera-Rs 1 crore 
 
Aaron Finch- Rs 1 crore 
 
Praveen Kumar- Rs 3.50 crore 
 
Dwayne Smith- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dale Steyn- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dinesh Karthik- Rs 2.30 crore 
 
Dhawal Kulkarni- Rs 2 crore 
 
Eklavya Dwivedi- Rs 1 crore 
 
(Images: Indiatimes)

Cricketers who turned millionaires, thanks to IPL-9

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55028207.cms" />An interesting consequence of the release of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.S._Dhoni:_The_Untold_Story">M.S. Dhoni : The Untold Story</a> is that many little-known anecdotes from <keyword id="3778468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MS-Dhonis-career">MS Dhoni’s career</keyword> can now be appreciated by a larger audience. 
 The one that caught my attention the most was the story around Dhoni’s selection into the <keyword id="8675" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-cricket-team">Indian cricket team</keyword>. 
 
While many in the selection panel, such as <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/143058.html">Sandeep Patil, were pushing for Dinesh Karthik</a>, Dhoni made it to the side on the back of a <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/135231.html">firm recommendation by then-captain Sourav Ganguly</a>, and Ravi Shastri. 
 
For all of his astounding success, <keyword id="6354832" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MS-Dhoni">MS Dhoni</keyword> started off as Non-Consensus selection. 
 
Why is this significant ? 
 
Most of us start with the assumption that extraordinary sporting talent is obvious to spot and should lead to a unanimous approval by the selection panel. 
 
Nothing could be further from the truth. 
 
I began to see interesting parallels between sporting selections and the way Venture Capital (VC) investors pick their investments, inspired by a set of <a href="https://25iq.com/2014/06/14/a-dozen-things-ive-learned-from-marc-andreessen/">quotes from Marc Andreessen</a>. 
 
“We think you can draw a 2×2 matrix for venture capital. …And on one axis you could say, consensus versus non-consensus. And on the other axis you can say, successful or failure. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55028080.cms" /> 
 
<a href="https://25iq.com/2014/06/14/a-dozen-things-ive-learned-from-marc-andreessen/">Image Source</a> 
 
And of course, you make all your money on successful and non-consensus. … it’s very hard to make money on successful and consensus. Because if something is already consensus then money will have already flooded in and the profit opportunity is gone. 
 
And so by definition in venture capital, if you are doing it right, you are continuously investing in things that are non-consensus at the time of investment. 
 
And let me translate ‘non-consensus’: in sort of practical terms, it translates to crazy. You are investing in things that look like they are just nuts…..The entire art of venture capital in our view is the big breakthrough for ideas. The nature of the big idea is that they are not that predictable… 
 
….Most of the big breakthrough technologies/companies seem crazy at first: PCs, the internet, Bitcoin, Airbnb, Uber, 140 characters.. It has to be a radical product. It has to be something where, when people look at it, at first they say, ‘I don’t get it, I don’t understand it. I think it’s too weird, I think it’s too unusual.’” 
 
Of course, making a non-consensus selection, whether in the world of sports or startups, is easier said than done. Consensus by definition, represents a balanced, sensible, rational view that is, in most cases, also correct. 
 
What then does it take to cross the line in order to make a crazy non-consensus selection ? 
 It turns out that the story of Sachin Tendulkar’s selection into the Indian <keyword id="1521" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cricket">cricket</keyword> team might hold the answer. 
 
Back in 1989, the selection panel was debating whether the 16-year old Tendulkar was ready for international cricket. 
 
“What if he fails?” some in the panel asked. 
 
When it came to decision time, the ball was thrown to senior selector Naren Tamhane, who said, <a href="http://archive.mid-day.com/news/2009/sep/130909-Raj-Singh-Dungarpur-sad-demise-Cricketing-Legend-Sports-Mumbai.htm">“Gentlemen, Sachin Tendulkar never fails”</a> prompting a <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bharat-ratna-sachin-tendulkar/top-stories/It-was-3-2-in-Sachin-Tendulkars-favour-for-1989-Pak-tour-Selector/articleshow/23919252.cms">narrow 3–2 win in favour of Tendulkar</a>. 
 
Given how Tendulkar’s career played out, Tamhane’s audacious statement appears prophetic, courageous, and even, badass. 
 
Think any longer though and you realize that it was a ludicrous, heavily biased, and quite simply, incorrect statement to make. 
 
But perhaps bias, a strong optimistic bias, is the only way we will ever make a non-consensus bet on an unproven rookie, or a crazy start-up idea. 
 
Bias repeatedly causes us to make many of our worse judgements and decisions. 
 
However, an optimistic bias is also the driving force that makes the entrepreneur believe that his odds of success are infinitely higher than his competition, the selector believe than an unproven teenage cricketer never fails, and a crazy, incomprehensible idea can be the next technological breakthrough. 
 
To borrow from <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/rare-insight-sequoia-startup-investment-calls">Shailendra Singh</a>, a winning non-consensus investment happens as a result of someone 
 
“…willing to put his neck on the line and is literally pounding the table to assert investment in a startup he believes in..” 
 
That sort of conviction will always necessarily need to be loaded with bias. 
 
But why go through all the song and dance of a heavily-biased non-consensus selection when the stakes are so high ? 
 
Wouldn’t it be safer to just go with a consensus selection ? 
 
Wouldn’t it ? 
 
In the 1984 NBA college draft, the Portland Trail Blazers <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167677752/film-bad-legs-hindered-bowies-time-in-portland">chose Sam Bowie over a certain Michael Jordan</a> (Who was then picked up by the Chicago Bulls). 
 
And no, it was not even close to being a Non-consensus decision. In fact, according to “Dr. Jack” Ramsay, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers at the time, 
 
“It made the most sense for us to select Sam Bowie. It was almost a no-brainer.” 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55028160.cms" /> 
 
<a href="http://www.pictaram.com/media/1250834033860699165_2869843864">Image Source</a> 
 
Yes, it was a consensus selection to not pick Michael Jordan. 
 
So the next time you are considering ranting about how investors and sports selectors get their picks wrong, remember that someone once called the decision to not pick Michael Jordan a no-brainer, and was paid for it.

The Selection Dilemma

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55940488.cms" />How do VCs answer the question-“Should I invest in this Startup?” 
 Before I get to that, I’ll quickly digress to share the story of a remarkable sporting achievement that gave more impetus to a hitherto, underused method for evaluation of <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword>. 
 
Back in 2002, the Oakland Athletics baseball team created history by finishing first in their division. 
 
No mean feat, especially when you are an underdog, with severe financial limitations and having lost 3 of your best players to the elite teams. And then to top it all, going on to set an American League record for the longest win streak with 20 consecutive wins. 
 
More interestingly, the way in which the Oakland A’s achieved all of this was so incredible and unique at the same time, that it inspired a <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Moneyball-Art-Winning-Unfair-Game/dp/0393324818">book</a> (which went on to become a bestseller) and a Hollywood <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/">movie</a> starring <keyword id="3557" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Brad-Pitt">Brad Pitt</keyword> that received 6 Academy Award nominations including one for Best Picture. The movie’s screenplay, was written by no less than <keyword id="377733" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aaron-Sorkin">Aaron Sorkin</keyword> (of The Social Network and Steve Jobs fame). 
 The book details how <keyword id="784180" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Billy-Beane">Billy Beane</keyword>, Oakland Athletics’ General Manager, and the brain behind what came to be known as the ‘<keyword id="248886" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Moneyball">Moneyball</keyword>’ strategy catapulted them to unprecedented success with 4 more division crowns. 
 
Moneyball in a nutshell 
In sports, the Moneyball model is about finding undervalued (or under-the-radar) players and buying them on the cheap to put together a competitive team. 
 
It gets you the maximum bang for your buck using data and detailed analysis to identify value, which your non-moneyball competitors are yet to spot. They do this by measuring in-game activity of players to make cost-effective purchase decisions through comparison and heavy use of statistics. 
 
It has been used extensively in baseball, basketball and football, with remarkable success. 
 
Moneyball and Consensus 
In his recent article titled, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Selection-Dilemma/articleshow/55028022.cms">The Selection Dilemma</a>, Kae Capital’s Shubhankar Bhattacharya, talks about Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, getting selected into national team despite non-consensus amongst selectors (such scenes play out quite often in the movie Moneyball as well). 
 
In the context of Dhoni’s selection, it could be argued that it might not have been entirely, an emotional decision. Perhaps, those selectors who pushed his case for inclusion were playing Moneyball in their heads. 
 
Let me elaborate… 
 
Although conventional wisdom suggests relying on batting averages or runs scored to determine who the better batsmen is, the Moneyball approach would not consider it to be an effective metric at all. Depending on the format of the game (test/ ODI/ T20), it would consider other, more effective metrics, given the team’s requirement or objective for a particular position. In this case, that happened to align with the stated reason by then captain Sourav Ganguly for Dhoni’s inclusion over fellow wicketkeeper-batman, Dinesh Karthik (who had scored more runs than Dhoni in domestic matches that season). 
 
Ganguly mentioned that he needed a batsmen who could perform under pressure on a bigger stage. In Moneyball terms, that probably maps to higher strike rate, runs scored and partnerships stands specifically in the slog/ death overs or while batting second in internationals. Did Dhoni’s stats better Karthik’s in that regard? Unfortunately, I do not have the data. But, his inclusion was justified when he consistently finished tight games for the national side, filling in a precise requirement. 
 
The Game VCs play – Selection or Moneyball? 
Coming back to the article, Shubhankar, goes on to elaborate on how the job of a VC is akin to that of the selector, in identifying promising startups that have been overlooked or misunderstood and hence passed on by other investors. He further illustrates via a 2x2 matrix on how the most successful bets come from non-consensus investments that are not necessarily backed by data or even common sense. 
 
But, if data can really provide actionable decisions, then why do VCs still largely rely on their ‘gut feeling’ or go by their ‘instinct’ before investing? 
 
The Moneyball Dilemma 
That’s because you cannot solely rely on statistics to tell you everything about a startup. Some things cannot be measured statistically or accurately — like a founder’s grit, or for that matter, the craziness of an idea! 
 
Just like sometimes, the only way a coach/ manager/ selector can assess certain qualities of a player, is to watch him/her play, VCs like to assess founders too, over several months and many meetings before they take a bet. 
 
Data scientists, however, would argue that everything can be measured — if you can see it and discriminate it based on those values, a stat can be made for it. According to them, a stat being unavailable only means that the stat doesn’t exist, yet! 
 
They might have a point. 
 
Given the massive advances in machine learning, the Moneyball approach can not only throw data points, but also help find the narrative in that data and its impact (there’s already <a href="http://www.theaivc.com/">AIVC</a> — the world’s first Venture Capital fund powered entirely by Artificial Intelligence). 
 
Coming back to the first question… 
How does a VC answer the question, “Should I invest in this Startup” 
 
I believe the answer will always be a mix of the emotional and the rational. 
 
The emotional ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ determines the faith the VC has in the team and the idea; and the rational will always be a percentage that goes something like, 
 
“There’s a 72.8% chance that the startup will attract follow-on funding” 
 
or 
 
“a 48.2% probability that this startup gets acquired” 
 
or 
 
“a 12.9% chance this startup will list publicly in the next 8 years.” 
 
The latter, in fact, is based more on the evaluation of business models and traction gained. And in that, it aligns with those startups in the [Successful + Consensus] quadrant, which will almost always give less than ideal or maximum returns. The reason is because investors make a beeline to invest in those companies that seem to have everything going right. Thus providing diminishing returns as their value is driven up. 
 
Having said that, investors and founders alike, need to move towards an increasingly advanced set of statistics and make it a bigger part of public discussion when it comes to determining performance of startups. That would mean the media would need to play an active role in the process by not glorifying vanity metrics such as GMV or number of app downloads or number of items sold. A case in point being the recent <a href="http://qz.com/274278/the-real-reason-why-indias-shopping-websites-are-at-each-others-throats-this-week/">war</a> <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Companies/BhnTNmAinnOChvZLwMe86M/Indias-ecommerce-war.html">of</a> <a href="http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/now-flipkart-and-amazon-fight-over-no-1-spot-in-terms-of-diwali-sales-264705.html">words</a> between the CEOs of Flipkart and Amazon India over Dussera and Diwali sales figures. 
 
Such efforts can also help reign in valuation bubbles. Overvaluing and over-investing, in startups or business models, that are fundamentally broken or flawed, can be thus controlled when the industry moves towards a ‘gold standard' for evaluation via metrics. 
 
Also, such complex metrics would also help overcome the conundrum posed by <a href="http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/Goodharts-law.html">Goodhart’s Law</a>, as these metrics will be hard to game. 
 
Final thoughts 
In the end, both approaches try to find value where it is not immediately apparent. However, many questions remain to be answered as one system cannot completely replace the other. To choose one, would be ill-advised and plain foolish. 
 
Perhaps, if VCs can evaluate their bets in retrospect and share the data, it could merit a follow-up article. If you had like to reach out in that regard (or even otherwise), I’m on <a href="https://twitter.com/prajaret">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/praveenrajaretnam">LinkedIn</a>.

Playing Moneyball with Startups — the Metrics Dilemma

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/35150658.cms" />Almost all the captains in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League have had some moments of joy, but one <keyword id="16561" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="skipper">skipper</keyword> who has seldom been found without any jest is Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma. Not many expected MI to be one of the first teams to be written off after such a successful campaign last season, when they clinched their maiden title as well as the Champions League T20. More than Rohit's smile gone missing, the look on his face is more gloomy than reassuring, more burdensome than inspirational. After all, he had to bear the burden of MI being defending champions despite the fact that their icon player <keyword id="6354267" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sachin-Tendulkar">Sachin Tendulkar</keyword> was gone and a couple key components not around. After seven losses in ten games, Mumbai's chances of making the play-offs are next to impossible barring some earth-shattering mathematical calculations. The manner in which they were found wanting in a six-wicket loss to <keyword id="6354467" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kolkata-Knight-Riders">Kolkata Knight Riders</keyword> on Wednesday night just went on to show that their near-perfect win over Sunrisers Hyderabad was just one hit game amid many listless performances. 

	There are many factors that did not work for MI during a so far painful campaign for them. Here we pinpoint the major ones.
 

	It all started at the auction table
 One of the biggest setbacks for the defending champions was to see the players they let go off from their 2013 squad do exceedingly well this year for other franchises. The biggest examples being Dwayne Smith, <keyword id="470051" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Glenn-Maxwell">Glenn Maxwell</keyword> and Mitchell Johnson, who contributed strongly whenever being called upon to do so last year. Especially Smith, who had made it a habit of forging solid opening stands with Tendulkar, invariably creating momentum for strokeplayers like Rohit, Dinesh Karthik and Kieron Pollard to tee off at any given point of time. That opening slot turned out to be a massive weak link for the team this year as new recruit and veteran <keyword id="6377175" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Michael-Hussey">Michael Hussey</keyword> (30 runs from four games) and Ben Dunk (40 runs from three games) failed miserably with the bat. They alternated the one opening slot with Aditya Tare (106 runs from 10 games) and CM Gautam (121 runs from nine games) but neither could live up to the billing. Plus, playing at least three uncapped Indian players in all matches turned out be a big problem for MI as the options did not enthuse confidence. The reason being the retention of five players for the 2014 auction and the heavy spending on Hussey, Corey Anderson left MI with less purse to buy quality domestic players. 

	Non-performing overseas players
 After being touted as the next big thing in world cricket, fastest ODI centurion Anderson was the cynosure of all eyes when <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 7 began. However, 150 runs and four wickets in 10 isn't what you'd want to get from a player who was paid Rs 4.5 crore. Perhaps the big occasion, near alien conditions and huge crowds overawed Anderson but what about Hussey? The former Chennai Super Kings veteran was a real force in the two-time champion side and was expected to do much the same for his new franchise, but his poor returns put MI under tremendous pressure and invariably exposed the frailties of a susceptible middle order. 

	Big runs go missing
 

	After the loss to KKR, Rohit said: "We need to keep scoring 170-plus if we need to win consistently, we aren't doing that." His reasoning is valid. MI have crossed 170 twice so far and ended up winning those games. Their highest run-getter in the tournament, Ambati Rayudu (310 runs in 10 games) is languishing at ninth in the top run-getters. Rohit, Pollard, Rayudu and Lendl Simmons (a late recruit) have combined for seven fifties that includes one score above 70 and two over 60.
 

	After Malinga, who?
 

	The champion bowler that he is in this format, Malinga didn't disappoint with 16 wickets in 10 games. However, he lacked support from the other end. The only instance in the tournament so far when a MI bowler took three or more wickets is Malinga's 4/23 in the season opener. Harbhajan Singh's drought of wickets has not helped apply pressure in the middle overs. In comparison to 24 wickets last season, Harbhajan's eight this year leaves a big vacuum.
 Harbhajan, Johnson, Malinga and Pragyan Ojha took 84 wickets last season. In 2014, injury to <keyword id="12644" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Zaheer-Khan">Zaheer Khan</keyword> has forced MI to try Jasprit Bumrah (two wickets), <keyword id="6366707" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Praveen-Kumar">Praveen Kumar</keyword> (two wickets) and Pawan Suyal (one wicket) as his replacement. Ojha (economy 8.29) and Pollard (10.73) have been the biggest disappointments with one wicket apiece. 

	A combination of the above factors has left Rohit with more than just a creased forehead. Last year, the responsibility brought the best out of him but now the burden of leading an under-performing group is looking too heavy a yoke to bear.

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