New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) will kick off Sunday, following a months-long hiatus, with the focus set to be on the 15 Indians selected for the T20 World Cup scheduled to commence right after.
Excitement and predictions over performance in the shortest format of the game have already ensued after Virat Kohli announced he would step down as the T20 skipper after the World Cup, to focus on the other formats — ODI and Tests — paving the way for his deputy Rohit Sharma to take the reins.
The second phase of the IPL’s 14th edition will commence from 19 September in Dubai after it was deferred in May this year, following just 29 matches, due to the brutal second Covid wave in India. Besides 13 matches in Dubai, 10 games will be played in Sharjah and eight in Abu Dhabi amid the strict Covid protocols.
The tournament will resume with defending champions Mumbai Indians playing against Chennai Super Kings at 7:30 pm (IST) Sunday.
After Team India’s heroic performance against England on their turf in the Test series for the Pataudi Trophy, many individual players would look to get a jump-start before embarking on their T20 World Cup journey, also to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Also read: Dhoni might be a legend of Indian cricket. But the T20 World Cup is about those on the pitch
Clash of captains
Among the 15-member squad of Team India for the T20 WC, there are four IPL captains. It’s not a surprise that the most likely next Indian T20 captain, Rohit Sharma, has the most successful run in the history of the IPL. His franchise, Mumbai Indians, has won five IPL titles so far, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Kohli, who has been with Royal Challengers Bangalore since the inception of the tournament, has seen his team struggle year after year. Despite delivering on the captaincy front in Tests, his poor record at RCB continues to dog his career.
Delhi Capitals’ skipper Rishabh Pant may have a decent lead on the points table but his acumen will be tested as a leader and player after an average run in England. K.L. Rahul, leading Punjab Kings, would look to continue his steady run in Dubai, albeit in a different format.
Besides Sharma, a total of five players — Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya — featuring in the Indian T20 WC squad are from Mumbai Indians. These players will have to play a significant role to ensure at least three more wins for the five-time champions to make it to the playoffs.
Return of Ashwin
After sitting out through the entire Test series in England, Ravichandran Ashwin would be raring to be back on the field. With Ravindra Jadeja also on the team’s T20 squad, Ashwin would pull out all stops to get past his bench-warming days.
If skipper Pant uses the senior off-spinner to his advantage, Delhi Capitals might have a trump card on their hands.
Managing the workload
With the pace sensation Bumrah having bowled 151 overs in England and Mohammed Shami having come out of an intense Test series, BCCI would keep a close watch on their fitness and exhaustion levels. What Bumrah is to Mumbai Indians, Shami is to Punjab Kings, making their transition to the format of the game and keeping their teams in the title race a challenge.
Even Jadeja, who cemented his position in India’s playing XI during the England tour, would look to reserve his energy for the ICC T20 bash.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns after fitness issues. He would look to find his swing magic back to ensure a spot in the playing XI.
The young spinner Varun Chakravarthy of Kolkata Knight Riders, who holds the impressive record of scalping Dhoni twice in IPL 2020, is another new addition to Team India’s T20 side.
Also read: Pakistan has no love for New Zealand, only rage and conspiracy theories after tour pullout