The world’s most glamorous T20 tournament is back on Saturday as the Indian Premier League returns.
Cricketing superstars from around the globe will descend on India for the 15th edition of the franchise competition.
With two new teams – Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans – added and a shake-up of the squads following the mega-auction, 2022 promises to bring a combination of freshness and familiarity as Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler and co duke it out over the next two months.
The 2021 edition started behind closed doors and finished in the UAE last year, but this year the always vociferous IPL fans will be back. Venues will be limited to 25% capacity initially but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is confident that number will increase as the tournament progresses.
The format
There are now 10 franchises representing different cities in India, with matches taking place at four neutral venues across two cities: three in Mumbai and one in Pune.
The teams have been split into two virtual groups after being seeded based on the number of times they have won the IPL or made the finals.
Group A is made up of Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, with Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans comprising Group B.
The opening game sees a repeat of the 2021 final as defending champions Chennai meet Kolkata.
Each team will play 14 matches in the league phase, taking on every team in their group and the equivalent side in the other group twice, facing the other four sides only once.
The top four sides will go through to the play-offs, with the final scheduled for 29 May.
Can new captain Jadeja lead Chennai to victory?
After claiming their fourth IPL title in Dubai last year, Chennai will be targeting a record-equalling fifthto move level with Mumbai Indians.
While he may no longer be their captain after passing the leadership to Ravindra Jadeja, Chennai can still rely on the tactical nous, experience behind the stumps and calming influence of MS Dhoni.
Moeen Ali is another very cool customer and having played a key role in last year’s triumph, the England all-rounder will be back with the men in yellow.
As ever, Chennai have generally gone with experience over youth with Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Ambati Rayudu returning and Chris Jordan and Devon Conway joining a healthy core of 30-somethings.
Kolkata have gone in a different direction, opting against retaining former captain Eoin Morgan and handing the captaincy to new arrival Shreyas Iyer.
Alex Hales’ withdrawal has left them with a position to fill at the top of the order but there is another Englishman, Sam Billings, who would be more than happy to step in, although he will have to get past Aaron Finch and KKR stalwart Sunil Narine first.
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has also been retained; Pat Cummins is back after missing the second leg of last year’s competition while Ajinkya Rahane is among the notable additions as they aim to go one better than in 2021.
Kohli back in the ranks as RCB aim to break their duck
There was no fairytale ending for Kohli in his last season as captain with RCB coming up short again in their pursuit of a first IPL crown.
Kohli now reverts to the role of star batter with the incoming Faf du Plessis, player of the match for Chennai in last year’s final, taking over as skipper.
There is an AB de Villiers shaped hole that will be nigh on impossible to fill following the South African legend’s retirement but in Kohli, Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell they still possess ample batting power.
Bowling has been Bangalore’s weakness over the years but Harshal Patel was the leading wicket-taker in last year’s competition, Josh Hazlewood provides further firepower to the seam attack and Sri Lanka leg-spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga looks a shrewd acquisition.
Delhi are another side still searching for a first title. They have been the nearly men over the past two years, performing well in the group stage but then unable to get the job done in the play-offs.
Led by Rishabh Pant, arguably the most exciting and explosive player on the planet, Delhi still have a core of talented Indian players with opener Prithvi Shaw and left-arm spinner Axar Patel chief among them.
Aussie duo David Warner and Mitch Marsh will have big roles to play, as will India seamer Shardul Thakur, a winner with CSK in 2021.
Royals and Kings ready to compete after overhauls?
In recent years, Rajasthan have been the ‘English’ team of the IPL but with Ben Stokes ruling himself out of the tournament, Jofra Archer gone (and injured in any case) and Liam Livingstone earning himself a big payday elsewhere, Buttler is the last Englishman standing.
After a disappointing seventh-place in 2021, the Royals have used the mega-auction to build perhaps their most-balanced squad since returning from a two-year ban in 2018.
Buttler, captain Sanju Samson and big-hitting West Indian Shimron Hetmyer are the big names in the batting department but youngsters Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag look set for significant roles too.
Then comes a bowling attack featuring Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna and possibly Nathan Coulter-Nile. If it clicks, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
With Jonny Bairstow joining Livingstone, as well as Gloucestershire’s Benny Howell, perhaps Punjab Kings will be the IPL team of choice for English fans?
Mayank Agarwal will captain the side and with Shikhar Dhawan added to the mix as well, they have a top order that packs a real punch.
Kagiso Rabada is a huge plus on the bowling side, Sandeep Sharma and Arshdeep Singh are proven IPL performers and Rahul Chahar provides a high-quality spin option.
New-look Mumbai aiming to recreate the old magic
Mumbai’s all-conquering side was always going to be broken up at the auction but after back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, it was a disappointing end for one the best T20 sides in the format’s history as they missed out on the 2021 play-offs courtesy of net run-rate.
India skipper Rohit Sharma is still there, as are Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and the ever-impressive Jasprit Bumrah so it is not a total revamp for Mahela Jayawardene’s men.
Opposition batters will be glad that figuring out how to score runs at the death when facing Bumrah at one end and Archer at the other is a problem for 2023 with the England fast bowler ruled out, but in Tymal Mills, Mumbai have another England quick ready to fill the void.
Meanwhile, Singaporean power-hitter Tim David is one to look out for after success around the world in franchise competitions.
If Mumbai are viewed as serious contenders once more, expectations are rather different for 2016 champions Sunrisers.
Warner, Bairstow and Rashid Khan are gone following 2021’s last-place finish, heaping even more pressure on captain Kane Williamson, whose clinical batting, tactical acumen and ability to remain ice-cool under pressure will all be crucial to his team’s chances.
It is far from a one-man band though; West Indies left-hander Nicholas Pooran is always dangerous and has a point to prove after a dismal showing in 2021 with the Kings, while if Bhuveneshwar Kumar is fully fit then the Sunrisers have one of the most skilled bowlers in the competition.
South Africa left-arm quick Marco Jansen also has a chance to shine having made a bright start to his international career over the winter, albeit mainly in red-ball cricket.
Lucknow and Gujarat out to make an instant impact
For a team starting from scratch, Lucknow appear to have amassed a squad brimming with talent and stellar names capable of winning any given match.
An opening pair of captain KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock that will bring elegance and destruction in equal measure looks particularly exciting.
Mark Wood’s withdrawal through injury might leave them a touch light on genuine pace but with experienced campaigners, both domestic and overseas, they have every chance of challenging for a top-four spot.
It is a similar story for Gujarat, who have also put together an impressive squad.
Fitting it all together is the tricky part but some players are as close to guarantees as you can get. Afghanistan leggie Rashid Khan certainly falls into that category, bringing not only wickets but a superb economy rate as well.
Hardik Pandya has been brought in as skipper and can be devastating with bat and ball. But it remains to be seen how much bowling he will be able to do for the Titans because of an ongoing back issue.
At 22, Shubman Gill has already established himself as a top-level IPL batter but his presumed opening partner for the tournament, Jason Roy, has pulled out.
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