Kolkata: The dust is yet to settle over the disappointment of India’s flop World Cup title defence but deluge of more action is about to start as the Indian Premier League (IPL), with its heady cocktail of cricket, money and glamour, begins its eighth edition today.
All the eight franchises have a revamped look after conducting brisk business with 67 players sold overall at Rs.87,60,00,000 (Indian rupees) - 24 among them being foreigners.
Last season’s wooden-spooners Delhi Daredevils made the biggest noise in bidding when they bagged Indian team discard Yuvraj Singh for a whopping Rs160m.
They backed up the acquisition with expensive buys of seasoned star Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews and Indian bowling duo of Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra.
But other franchises were not too far behind in spending, even though they weren’t as desperate to overhaul their line-up as the Daredevils, who finished at the bottom of the standings last season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, another team yet to win the tournament, dished out Rs105m to bag wicket-keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik adding more meat to the rampaging batting trio of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians and Kings Xi Punjab also splashed cash to bring aboard New Zealander Trent Boult, Australian Aaron Finch and Kings Xi Punjab’s Murali Vijay.
Hyderabad, however, will be considerably weakened after the untimely pull-out of Kevin Pietersen, with the former England batsman deciding to play English county cricket to salvage his international career.
All eyes will be on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who will kick start their title defence against the formidable Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener at the Eden Gardens here tomorrow.
The final is slated for May 24.
The title holders’ build-up to the tournament was marred by a controversy surrounding the availability of their premier spinner West Indies’ Sunil Narine.
They had to wait till the eleventh hour to confirm the availability of the bowler, who was till recently suspended from bowling by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to a suspect bowling action and had to undergo a bio-mechanical test, on the insistence of the BCCI, before being given the green light to play.
Two-time champions Chennai Super Kings have re-signed veteran Australian batsman Michael Hussey, who spent six seasons there before moving to Mumbai for a season. But a lot of attenton will be on Kiwi Brendon McCullum, particularly after his stupendous World Cup form.
India batsman Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians, one of only two sides to have achieved the IPL-and-Champions League Twenty20 double, possess a squad rich on experience with proven performers like West Indian Kieron Pollard, India’s Harbhajan Singh, Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga and Australia’s World Cup-winning hero Aaron Finch.
Kings XI Punjab also have experience in plenty with batting dashers Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell and pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson, each capable of singlehandedly winning matches.
Rajasthan Royals’ penchant for turning the heat on their more fancied opponents remains their strength. They have, true to their wont, silently assembled a strong team boasting of three members of the Australian World Cup winning side - skipper Shane Watson, Steven Smith and all-rounder James Faulkner - as also New Zealand pacer Tim Southee.
While the wisdom of holding a gruelling 46-day tournament just on the heels of a punishing World Cup campaign can be questioned, the cricketers (both home-grown and overseas) as well as the Board of Control in India (BCCI) administrators are certainly not averse to making mega bucks by milking the cash cow in a frenzied atmosphere. Every year, the star cast of the teams ensures a longing appetite for action despite the risk of fatigue, and it promises to be no different this time.
Meanwhile, reflecting the grandeur and exuberance of Indian festivities, the glitzy and technologically stunning opening of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL-8) was held yesterday at the Salt Lake stadium amid a replay of magical moments of the previous editions of the league.
The stadium erupted in celebrations even though thundershowers led to an hour-and-a-half delay. The rain clearly failed to dampen the spirits of the nearly 15,000 patiently waiting cricket fans.
As the audience waited for the star performers -- Hrithik Roshan, Anushka Sharma and Shahid Kapoor -- to fire up the show, captains of the seven of the eight teams took the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Spirit of Cricket pledge by signing a bat.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner was not present, and his team-mate Shikhar Dhawan stepped in to sign the bat on behalf of the Australian.AGENCIES
