IPL Boxing - Is a Fixed Match Better Than a Fixed Match?

In many organized sports, fixed matches occur as a match is being played for a partially or fully predetermined outcome, often the culmination of a long and athletic season. The object of a fixed match is to see who can win the game based on pre-established criteria, which may be dependent on several factors. For example, in tennis, the point system may be used to determine the winner. However, the system may not be used to determine the winner in football, boxing or rugby. As a result, in most sports where fixed matches have been implemented, there is usually some level of deceit involved, which is the primary reason for the ban on fixed matches in the United States.

It is not just in organized sports that a fixed match takes place; sometimes a set number of players will play a certain number of rounds with a predetermined result. A classic example of this would be a triathlon. At the end of each individual stage, someone is chosen to "cast" the deciding vote. This process has the potential to be manipulated and may take place until one player is chosen to win the whole thing. As mentioned above, this is often used in sports where the result is already decided, but it is an all-too-common practice that can take place in other sports.

Sports that feature fixed matches include cricket, golf, rugby, soccer, hockey and the boxing ring. In most of these sports, the result of a fixed match is pre-set and predetermined. Cricket, for example, features three sets of six overs, with the fourteenth and final round of play going to the batsmen. Once the overs are over, the teams are then done with their preparations for the next set of six overs. The team with the best total score at the end of six overs wins. A fixed match can also be defined as any tournament or competition with a fixed set of rules, where no outside force changes can affect the outcome.

There are a few advantages to having a fixed match. The obvious benefit is that there are no variables that can be manipulated in the match, such as the starting wicket keeping services, the batting orders, the running rates, the number of bowlers or umpires, or anything else that can be controlled by the players. Without a fixed match, it is easy to have a draw. Without a fixed match, it is easy to have a surprise win. It is easy to predict the winner of a fixed match because all that needs to happen is for one player to hit the winning ball and the team becomes champions.

The downside to a fixed match is that the teams play for their lives. If they cannot get on together in a hurry, then they have very little chance of winning. Because the starting wicket keeping services are pre-set and predetermined, the chances of a draw are unlikely. Once a team becomes eliminated from a fixed match point, the process for elimination begins. From there, the remaining teams have to play against each other until only one team remains. And if they cannot finish in first place when the time comes, they are eliminated from the tournament.

The upside to a fixed match is that you don't have to wait until the last moment in order to decide who will go home and who will stay. In a tournament like the IPL, where the schedule is released weeks before the tournament, this is very important. Since the schedules are so well decided and controlled by the IPL, there is little room for deviation, and therefore very little chance for an upset result. This means that IPL matches are generally the most exciting and unpredictable of all cricket tournaments.