CSK, MI eye revival; GT take on title-defence challenge as IPL returns | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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MS Dhoni's CSK, Rohit's MI eye revival; GT take on title-defence challenge as IPL returns for 16th season

By, Kolkata
Mar 30, 2023 10:13 PM IST

With impact players and wider ambit of DRS, a 10-team IPL returns in the home and away format

“You know what’s harder than winning a title? Retaining it.”

MS Dhoni (L) with Hardik Pandya(IPL)
MS Dhoni (L) with Hardik Pandya(IPL)

It took Hardik Pandya just 13 seconds to arrive at the crux of every multi-team sports league in an 84-second video clip published on Gujarat Titan’s social media handles 24 hours before their first IPL match. Only twice have teams defended their titles in 15 years of the Indian Premier League–Chennai Super Kings in 2011 and Mumbai Indians in 2020.

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Invincibility at home, durable multi-skilled Indian playing cores and fanatical support are the major reasons why Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have been the teams to beat in all these years. But this is probably the end of the road for the phenomenon called MS Dhoni. And Jasprit Bumrah is set to watch the IPL from the rehab ward. Time for a new order then?

This is not the IPL in its early exploratory and hesitant years. New kids on the block doesn’t mean slow off the blocks like Pune Warriors or Kochi Tuskers. In reaching the finals of their very first season, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants had raised the stakes in what was already a tournament of fine margins. But they are not taking that headstart for granted.

“The fact that we had a good season last year is exactly that–it’s in the last year,” said Vikram Solanki, director of cricket at Gujarat Titans. “The startline is the same. There is no advantage or disadvantage.”

It’s true yet not true. The biggest change from the last three years is the return of the home and away system. So get ready to take into account the local factors that have the potential to swing the momentum of a team in a matter of a few matches. That means looking out for the slow turner at Eden, short boundaries at Chinnaswamy, bracing for the oppressive humidity at Chennai, dew at Mohali, and most importantly, the insane travel.

This is also why you wouldn’t know what to expect from the 16th Indian Premier League. Because if homecomings were supposed to be happy, this one has been tricky at best for almost all the franchises. Apart from Bumrah, there will be no Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Prasidh Krishna. David Warner will lead Delhi Capitals, Aiden Markram Sunrisers Hyderabad, Shikhar Dhawan Punjab Kings and Nitish Rana Kolkata Knight Riders.

For the first time, a multiple Ranji Trophy-winning coach has been given the reins of an IPL team. And in a rare change of pace, Ben Stokes is possibly set to start as a pure batter for CSK who are possibly hoping to lock their next captain in him. “You will see tomorrow how Mahi bhai uses him,” said Ajinkya Rahane about Stokes. “It's completely in Mahi bhai's mind. He will use him really well.”

With the World Test Championship final in June and an ODI World Cup in October, injury management is the buzzword of this IPL. Physios have been advised to keep a tab but Rohit Sharma made no bones about the fact that franchises will take the final call. “It’s up to the franchises, their physios, trainers and medical teams on how to handle their players," Sharma said on Wednesday. "They are adults and they know how to manage the entire situation and come back fresh for the final.”

In such a scenario, scrutiny on overseas players intensifies. No Chris Gayle, no AB de Villiers, no Kieron Pollard, this arduous transition is finally hitting home as England’s Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Harry Brook look set to take over and rule the next few years of the IPL. Jofra Archer too. All those crores and hours spent on the England fast bowler will finally go up for audit as he is asked to spearhead Mumbai Indians’ dreams.

Some things haven’t changed with time though. KKR look a shade of their immediate past and more like the 2008-11 version where they just couldn’t find the right combination. Punjab Kings continue to chop and change, coming up with a new everything. Virat Kohli will once again pad up his dream of winning an IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. And since Sourav Ganguly isn’t the BCCI president anymore, he is back with Delhi Capitals as their director of cricket.

This is but skimming the surface of the ecosystem the IPL has evolved into. Ten teams, all of them worthy of winning the IPL, 74 matches in 58 days across 12 venues with 18 double headers, televised and live-streamed by two of the biggest broadcasting competitors—this is a homecoming worth the wait.

But wait, there are more changes. Captains now have the luxury of choosing their elevens based on the outcome of the toss. They can also choose an impact player–a powerplay specialist in all probability–who will be tasked with changing the game. The ambit of DRS too has been increased to scrutinising wides and no-balls. These are not recent innovations. But validating them with the IPL will possibly make the game even more exciting than ever.

Stay updated with the latest Cricket News, IPL Live Scores, and get exclusive insights with the RR vs DC Live Score, IPL 2024 Schedule, match highlights, and more. Explore a comprehensive Cricket Schedule, track the race for the Purple Cap and Orange Cap in IPL 2024, check Virat Kohli performance and stay ahead with all the cricket-related updates on the Hindustan Times website and app.
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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Somshuvra Laha is a sports journalist with over 11 years' experience writing on cricket, football and other sports. He has covered the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, cricket tours of South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh and the 2010 Commonwealth Games for Hindustan Times.

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