ALL SET FOR CRICKET’S CARNIVAL
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium, in Abu Dhabi, is all decked up ahead of the opening match of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on Saturday
ABU DHABI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s poker face, Virat Kohli’s raw emotions and Rohit Sharma’s effortless handling of his ‘Galacticos’ will be back to charm cricket fans across the globe with the Indian Premier League starting on Saturday, promising to be a happy distraction in a world scarred by COVID-19.
The tournament, which has been shifted to the UAE due to five million plus COVID cases in India, is a ‘TV-only event’, expected to be lapped up by all and sundry who crave for cricket and Bollywood in equal measure during prime time.
IPL happening in foreign shores is not a new phenomenon, not even the shift to the Emirates but as Indian sports hits the restart button with the billion-dollar cricketing extravaganza, the hugely popular event to be held closed doors in a bio-secure environment will be a new experience.
A look at the teams would indicate that Mumbai Indians by a distance is the most formidable with Rohit, Pandya brothers — Hardik and Krunal –, the indomitable Kieron Pollard and the ‘King of Death’ bowling Jasprit Bumrah giving it a menacing look.
The perennial Dad’s Army Chennai Super Kings can never be counted out till that man with ‘Hawk Eyes’ uses his peripheral vision behind the stumps.
For Kohli, winning a tournament as a captain would reaffirm his status even as naysayers question his style of leadership. The team is a shade better with presence of Aaron Finch, Chris Morris and the wonderfully gifted Devdutt Padikkal, who if all goes well, is destined to become a big name in years to come. Delhi Capitals, with its new found vigour and more pragmatic new owners, found its mojo last year and would like to go one better under an enormously talented skipper in Shreyas Iyer, who can be matched in skills by a Prithvi Shaw or a Rishabh Pant.
KXIP’s KL Rahul is a class act and how he shapes as a leader could also create a narrative for the future when Indian cricket goes through another change of guard in next few years.
The low-profile Sunrisers Hyderabad once again will be gunning for a place in the summit clash and its skipper David Warner knows how to win the IPL having always led the way with spectacular performances. When the IPL was partially held in UAE back in 2014, KKR was the eventual champion.
If Ben Stokes is the world’s best all-rounder across formats, Andre Russell probably is a bit more destructive in this format as he hit 52 sixes in the last edition. Rajasthan Royals is the weakest team lacking quality in the Indian line-up but expect Jos Buttler, Steve Smith and Jofra Archer to do the heavy lifting in Stokes’ absence. Stokes is currently in New Zealand to be with his ailing father.