Rohit Sharma ended the jinx of winning IPL trophies in odd years after he won record-extending fifth title with Mumbai Indians in 2020 edition, which was held in United Arab Emirates because of Covid-19 pandemic.
And now in 2021, he will aim to make it three in a row when the 14th season of the cash-rich league starts on Friday with his team taking on Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season’s opener at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
This time there will be no home advantage for any side as the entire 60 match tournament will be played in neutral venues and that too without fans.
The 2021 season will be special in its own way as Mumbai will aim to become the first side to complete hat-trick of IPL titles, Chennai under talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni seems ready to pull off a fresh trick after a forgetful season last year, where they finished second from the bottom.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s under-achievers Royal Challengers Bangalore will hope to change fortunes and step closer to first-ever title and so does renamed Punjab Kings will aim for. Under new name, KL Rahul’s side will be the one to watch out for.
While for the likes of Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals), it will be an entirely new experience to lead their respestive sides for the first time.
But both Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals suffer a major jolt even before the start, when England pacer Jofra Archer (Royals) and Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer (Capitals) were ruled out of the entire tournament due to injury problems.
Also there is Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in the fray, which under foreign skippers David Warner and Eoin Morgan will look to add more titles.
If one looks at the bigger picture, the 14th edition of IPL assumes greater significance as it is being held in a T20 World Cup year and that too in the sub-continent.
If Kohli will keep a ‘Hawk Eye’ on the performances of his probable list of players, it won’t be any different for an Eoin Morgan or a Kieron Pollard, who would also be preparing for the mega-event while giving it their all for their respective franchises.
Mumbai Indians, perhaps in the near two decade existence of T20 cricket, is a side that will be remembered for its aura.
If Rohit fails, then Quinton de Kock will certainly succeed. If both fail, Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan could scare the daylights out of the opposition.
And if the top-order is blown away, then the indomitable Pandya brothers (Hardik and Krunal) will be on the rivals’ case.
On the outfield, Kieron Pollard will save those extra runs apart from the trademark big hits always expected of him and also bring in the change of pace suited for the Chennai track.
Then there’s Jasprit Bumrah, ready to lead the MI attack. And to support him there is Trent Boult, with his swing, and Rahul Chahar, with his googlies.
Mumbai Indians can only lose on their bad days and on good days, they are going to be a nightmare as England captain Michael Vaughan has already warned.
Rohit’s opposite number is the national captain, who is ready to open once again but the squad composition of RCB doesn’t inspire the highest confidence.
Glenn Maxwell has again been picked for big money and New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson has been made an overnight multi-millionaire by the franchise despite him being untested on Indian dust-bowls.
Devdutt Padikkal will be in his second season with teams analysing him way more and Yuzvendra Chahal seems to have lost his mojo.
Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini do not inspire the highest confidence in in white ball cricket at least despite their gutsy performances in Australia early this year.
Amid all this, Dhoni will be quietly smiling and may be planning differently as it will be a placid Wankhede where CSK will be playing Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
The return of seasoned Suresh Raina, which opens up an option to play Imran Tahir in most games, and the presence of Moeen Ali and Sam Curran as floating all-rounders gives CSK a better look than last time.
Dhoni’s faith in uncapped Krishnappa Gowtham also needs a bit of validation.
As Dhoni brings on his years of IPL leadership experience, his ardent “fan” and “disciple” Rishabh Pant is ready to chart his own destiny as a Delhi Capitals leader while taking inspiration from his illustrious senior’s captaincy.
Pant 2.0 after his Gabba heroics is the most confident man in Indian cricket currently and with a batting line-up that has Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer along with the experience of Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane, Capitals would like to finish one better than last time.
Kagiso Rababda and Anrich Nortje’s contribution will be as important as Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel’s bowling.
Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the most low profile teams which has been known for on-field exploits. A superb assortment of foreign players comprising the prolific David Warner in batting and world’s best T20 bowler Rashid Khan along with Kane Williamson, Jason Holder, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy makes them a contender.
Kolkata Knight Riders would expect that Andre Russell gets his six-hitting prowess back while Varun Chakravarthy is more than a one-season wonder.
Eoin Morgan, the best white ball International skipper on view, would look for a settled batting order while praying that Sunil Narine isn’t again called for a suspect action.
For Punjab Kings, the owners would hope that change in the name brings about a change in luck but a lot would depend on skipper KL Rahul’s performance.
He wouldn’t mind another Orange Cap while Mohammed Shami would like to make a roaring comeback in International cricket. Chris Gayle, in between, is sure to provide entertainment.
For Rajasthan Royals, the absence of Jofra Archer first up will certainly rob them off initial momentum and with another wobbly Indian line-up under an inconsistent Sanju Samson at the helm, the heavy-lifting is going to be done by Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Chris Morris.
