IPL 10: Indian T20 Carnival starts today

With less than a day to go, excitement has reached the highest echelon as the players have once again united, streets once again blaring its horn, fans are on their feet, coaches are delivering their best and owners are praying.

A tournament which started back in 2008 is now in its tenth incarnation. The tournament will feature eight teams which battled in the previous season. The tenth edition of Indian Premier League is of 47 day and is expected to have too much firepower as big guns from all the cricketing nations have joined their respective teams and are hungry to express themselves.

Turning ten is a remarkable achievement for any tournament that has stolen the hearts of Indian fans. The season will also be witnessing Gurajat Lion and Rising Pune Supergiant for one last time as their contract will end and the idea of 10-team IPL doesn’t look pragmatic on papers. Rising Pune Supergiant have dropped an‘s’ from their name and changed their captain to smith. Whereas, Gujarat Lion looks almost same on papers. They weren’t expected to make many changes and they did that only.

IPL has produced players like Shaun Marsh and James Faulkner who have made their international career after proving their stature at this level, whereas it has revived the career of players like Shane Watson and Rohit Sharma. Players love participating in this tournament not only because it pays well, but has also become a symbol of achievement in a player’s career.

Injuries and players backing out from IPL have been a big concern as it might have a huge impact on IPL’s popularity. Virat Kohli, the heart of Indian Cricket won’t be available for few matches and players like KL Rahul, Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin missing the tournament entirely; on the other hand, players like Kevin Pietersen, Mitchell Starc and J P Duminy have backed out from this year’s IPL. Even then cricket lovers would be expecting to see jaw-dropping moments on the field and nail biting finishes.

Also, Tenth edition of IPL has something different for its fan as; it is for the first time that IPL will have eight different opening ceremonies at eight different venues. With new talent adding to the existing squads, all eight teams look evenly matched.

So, festivity starts from today as, the defending champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on the runner-up of last year’s IPL, Royal challengers Bangalore at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, which is also the home ground of the hosting team.

Former Australian All-Rounder Shane Watson will be leading Royal Challengers Bangalore in absence of Virat Kohli. Watson has lead Rajasthan Royal in past. With AB de Villers, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul not in the squad, it will be a big responsibility on his shoulders and will be interesting to see how he leads the side in their absence. It is expected to be another crack jack of game which should go down to the wire.

– Written by Vedant Sharma