The most lucrative cricket tournament hosted under the banner of BCCI – The Indian Premier League, commonly called as IPL has reached its eleventh season. This exciting T20 cricket tournament has brought new and exciting news as well as some controversies before the new season begins. This tournament is the eye candy for every cricket lover because it showcases best international maestros and domestic talents at the same level. IPL is considered to be the breeding ground and showcase of young and emerging talent.
The 2018 edition of IPL is scheduled to be started from April 7 and the final will be held on 27 May. This year’s IPL will mark the return of the two most awaited teams of the league – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) which will replace Gujarat Lions (GL) and Rising Pune Supergiants (RSP). Both these teams were prohibited from the league for 5 years due to unfortunate incidents of match-fixing.
Overall, the highest paid player in this edition of IPL is Ben Stokes (12.5 Crores) of England and the highest paid individual of the Indian soil is Jaidev Unadkat (11.5 Crores). Both of the players will wear Rajasthan Royals jersey for this season.
Another thing which makes this year’s IPL special is the maiden use of DRS system which is surely going to affect the outcomes of the matches to a great extent. And all the ten teams will undergo the leadership of Indian players. This situation is seen for the first time in IPL in which Indian talent will lead all the stars and talents of the game.
For IPL 2018, ten venues namely Mohali, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru are selected to host the matches. According to rules, every team should play at least 4 matches in the home but due to some unforeseen issues, KXIP will play 4 matches in Indore and 3 at Mohali.
The opening game will be played between two alluring teams. Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai’s adobe – Wankhede. A total of 60 matches will be played in 51 days.
IPL 2018 marked the return of two teams which was a good news for the cricket fans but this year, two Australian players David Warner and Steve Smith are restricted to play this year due to allegations made by Australian Cricket Board in the matter of ball tempering in international games. This news is a major shock for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals contingent because both of the players were one of the main assets of the squad.
Smith and Warner were on a signed agreement and were the most paid individuals in the league from Australia. Due to this ban, Warner has stepped down from the captaincy of Sunrisers Hyderabad too! IPL 2018 will be a tough start for the team. But the fans should not lose the hopes because T20 is a format of uncertainties and spine-chilling excitement in which tables may turn at any moment.
