THE 19TH edition of the Indian Premier League begins on Saturday in Bengaluru, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The new season comes after India’s home T20 World Cup win and amid memories of the 11 fans who died in a stampede outside the stadium last season during celebrations of RCB’s title. The incident took place a day after Bengaluru won their first IPL crown. Eleven supporters aged between 14 and 29 died in the crush.
RCB will leave 11 seats empty at the stadium, and players will wear black armbands.
The league also starts following major franchise deals this week, with a consortium acquiring Royal Challengers Bengaluru for about $1.78 billion and another taking control of Rajasthan Royals for $1.6 billion.
RCB, who won their maiden title last season on their 18th attempt, begin their defence at the same venue where the incident took place. There had been uncertainty before the team received clearance to host matches at the stadium.
Virat Kohli, who has retired from Tests and T20 internationals, remains part of the side at 37.
"He will be hungrier than ever, especially after lifting the IPL trophy last season," former India pace bowler Irfan Pathan told host broadcaster JioHotstar.
"He will have the same kind of passion when he comes back this season. He will want to lift the trophy once again."
The season will also focus on Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who turns 15 this week and will open the batting.
He was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup win in Harare last month, where he scored 175 off 80 balls in the final against England. He had also scored a 35-ball century in the IPL last season, the second fastest in the tournament, after hitting a six off his first ball on debut.
"There will be hype and pressure naturally," said Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag.
"Jaiswal is more than capable of handling that. For Vaibhav, the role will be just to go, hit, and not to worry."
India’s T20 World Cup win has also brought players such as Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube into focus. Both are with Chennai Super Kings this season.
Samson, who scored 321 runs in India’s last three matches of the World Cup, begins his first season with Chennai.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 44, will continue to play for Chennai Super Kings, batting at number seven under captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Some overseas players will miss the start of the season due to fitness and workload management, including Australia’s Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood. England’s Ben Duckett has withdrawn to focus on international cricket, while Rajasthan’s Sam Curran has been ruled out.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will be led by Ishan Kishan at the start, with Pat Cummins expected to take over when fit.
The season will feature 10 homegrown captains. The final is scheduled for May 31, although only the first two weeks of fixtures have been announced due to elections in several states.
High scores are expected again, with totals of over 200 likely on batting-friendly pitches, aided by the Impact Rule, which allows teams to replace a bowler with a batter.
Mumbai Indians will aim for a sixth title, while Gujarat Titans, led by Shubman Gill, will target another championship.
(With inputs from agencies)
