| 1. |
Contestants will have to select a "Dream Team" comprising 11 players which they feel represent the very best from all the 135 players representing the 9 Test playing countries (excluding Bangladesh).
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| 2. |
Each team must consist of 5 batsmen, 5 bowlers and 1 wicket-keeper; with an all-rounder being considered as either a batsman or a bowler (but not a wicket-keeper). Therefore, a team can consist of 4 batsmen, 4 bowlers, 1 wicket-keeper and 2 all-rounders. The exact category to which each player belongs is specified.
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| 3. |
Each of these 11 players will have to be purchased at a "stock price" (specified at the beginning of the game) which has been worked out by Rediff on the basis of a very precise formula aggregating the composite (batting + bowling + fielding) performance of the concerned player over the last 2 years. These values range from $ 3407 (ST Jayasuriya) to $ 81 (HP Tillakaratne).
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| 4. |
The total cost of all the 11 selected players should not exceed $ 15,000 under any circumstances. However, contestants are advised to keep a certain unspent balance (of about $ 1,500) as a reserve fund to protect against erosion of their stocks. It needs to be noted that the total value of their portfolio will be the sum of the stock values of the 11 selected players plus the unspent reserve balance.
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| 5. |
The objective of the game is to trade (buy or sell) players in such a manner so that the total portfolio value of the contestant is maximized over the duration of the Cup.
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| 6. |
Once a "Dream Team" has been selected by the contestant, and the Cup kicks off on February 9th 2003, the Rediff professionals will update the value of each of the 135 players based upon their performance in each match (The technical formula for doing so has been agreed upon and will not be changed at any point). Thus, after the opening clash between South Africa and West Indies, all the "stock prices" of the 22 players who played in that match will either increase or decrease, and so also will the value of a contestant’s portfolio if any of these 22 players are present in the selected "Dream Team".
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| 7. |
Depending upon the increase/decrease in the "stock prices" of each of the 11 selected players after each match, a contestant can opt to either "sell" or "buy" a player at the latest revised price, each time ensuring that his "Dream Team" comprises 5 batsmen, 5 bowlers and 1 wicket-keeper. It needs to be noted that if a contestant sells a player who has performed poorly (at a low price) and buys another who has performed well (at a high price), he will need to use the dollars in his reserve fund to meet the price difference. This is the reason that we recommend maintaining a sizable reserve fund to protect against such stock market fluctuations.
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| 8. |
Such trading (buying and selling) can take place only after a match has ended at which point the revised stock prices will be listed out and half an hour before the next match is scheduled to commence. No trades are permitted during playing time. There is no limit to the number of trades provided they are all made within the specified time limits.
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| 9. |
With each trade, a contestant changes the composition of the portfolio and, in the process, increases or decreases the amount of cash balances in the reserve fund. The objective of trading therefore is to try and "outsmart" the stock market: in effect, spot and buy good players at reasonable prices during the early phases of the Cup (before their stock prices begin to increase) and hope that they perform consistently well, thereby increasing the value of your portfolio. Equally true, if a selected player is not performing well, then the correct strategy would be to "cut your losses" and sell him off early during the early phases of the Cup (before his stock price crashes) and replace him with another one who, in your opinion, will perform better. Ultimately, it’s a judgment call: the facts are out there you have to decide!
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| 10. |
With the commencement of the "Super Six" phase, only 6 teams, and therefore only 90 players from the original 135, will be in contention. The values of the remaining 45 players will therefore be "frozen" at their last stock price.
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