There’s a lot happening in the IPL, across franchises. The preparations are in full swing, for a tournament that would nearly last two months, and would culminate a few days before the T20 World Cup. There’s a lot to keep a tab on, of course from every team, but let’s just start with five-time champions Mumbai Indians.
Just from the outset, there’s a feeling that all is not well in the MI camp, for reasons unknown. Injuries, players missing in action..it is not something one would expect from one of the champion sides of IPL. With just a couple of days left for the start of the tournament, the onus is on new MI skipper Hardik Pandya to get his house in order, and take his team where the ex-skipper Rohit Sharma did.
What’s Up Mumbai Indians?
Jason Behrendorff is out, and so is Sri Lankan Dilshan Madushanka now. Although the replacements for the two have already been announced, but MI doesn’t look the same for now. Jasprit Bumrah has still not joined the team. Suryakumar Yadav is not yet fit, and Hardik Pandya is coming out of a long injury layoff. There’s just too many concerns in the MI camp at the moment.
Dhoni, Kohli & Chepauk, All in Readiness
Last year’s winners, CSK’s home ground Chepauk will host the IPL 2024 opening ceremony on March 22nd, and it will be a solid, glamour-filled show. Maestros AR Rahman and Sonu Nigam will perform at the grand event, and so will Bollywood stalwarts Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. In short, it will be a glittering start to a glittering tournament. What’s more? The main event of the day will see Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni facing-off.
Punjab Kings’ Missing Star Power
Two of PBKS’ foreign recruits, Chris Woakes and Sikandar Raza are yet to join the team, head coach Sanjay Bangar announced on Wednesday. In fact, he also went on to reveal that an unnamed player would soon be joining their ranks. Who could it be? A batsman, bowler, or an all-rounder? We’ll let you know once the management gives a go-ahead,” Bangar said at a press conference.
Syllabus Revised, Now Two for the Over
This year’s IPL will witness a few new rules. Now, instead of the DRS, the SRS will come into place. Another rule change is, the introduction of two bouncers per over, by a bowler. This could be a massive shift from the previous rule of one bouncer only, where the batsmen did have an unfair advantage. The rule was first implemented in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which was very well received.
Big Shoes to Fill for Shami’s Replacement
Gujarat Titans on Wednesday finally announced a replacement for veteran pacer Mohammed Shami. Now India cap Sandeep Warrier will take his place, who plies his trade for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit. With just five IPL matches under his belt, he has a lot to prove, but did decently well in the Ranji Trophy recently, where he picked up 24 wickets in nine matches. But there will be a lot of expectations, coming in place of wicket-taker Shami.
‘We Have Missed Virat Kohli Dearly’
AB de Villiers, one of Kohli’s buddies and his former teammate at RCB, is already looking forward to the latter scoring tons of runs for his team. ABD couldn’t resist himself and ended up saying, “Stalwart, King Kohli, over 7000 runs, over 200 IPL matches — but that’s simply incredible. That’s like a career in itself.” The Indian had a brilliant last season where he scored over 600 runs in 14 matches, including two tons.
Super Over: 6 News Flash of March 20
Rinku’s Got the Moves
Rinku Singh is quite a character. Recently, the explosive middle-order batsman was seen shaking a leg with head coach Chandrakant Pandit.
KL Rahul’s Temple Run
LSG skipper Rahul, who is coming back after a quadriceps injury after a gap of almost two months, went to Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar temple, to seek blessings.
Virat Maxwell or Glenn Kohli?
During an RCB nets session, Australia all-rounder Maxwell was seen imitating former skipper Kohli. But it remains to be seen, if Maxwell can replicate the amount of runs the Indian scores in the tournament.
Long Live Kolkata Metro
The city’s metro trains will run for additional hours after the KKR vs SRH match at the Eden Gardens on March 23. That could possibly mean a full house at the iconic stadium in the city.
Rohit & Hardik – One for the Shutterbugs
While there were various reports that suggested all was not well between Rohit and Hardik, after the former was removed from MI captaincy, the duo were seen hugging each other during a practice session on Wednesday. The pictures are already viral.
MI’s Team Bonding in Alibaug
On Wednesday, Team MI left for a team bonding session to Alibaug. But surprisingly, Rohit was not present for the team bonding session.
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