IPL PULSE – Week #1
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The fans are operating at full speeds, the fridge`s a busy corner of the house and you`re craving mangoes. It`s officially summer in India and like every year, the IPL is back and so is the IPL Pulse, your byte-sized daily briefings on everything from the tournament. A lot to get excited about this season and we`ll try and build up to the opening day for you in concise bullet points.
End of an era?
Like MS Dhoni does best, he dropped the decision to relinquish CSK`s captaincy on the eve of the IPL. The baton now passes on to Ruturaj Gaikwad. The change of hands means that there`s no Virat Kohli leading RCB, no Rohit Sharma leading MI and obviously no Dhoni leading CSK. Feel old yet eh?
The Dhoni I know…
Nobody can claim to know him to be honest but N Srinivasan is as close as they come. “All these years I`ve known him, I`ve never heard him talk or do something unfair to anyone” Srinivasan told BatjeeSports about Dhoni. If you`ve time on your hands, you must read this exclusive by Kaushik Rangarajan, who also spoke to Raju Mukherjee (who was amongst the first to recognise Dhoni`s talent as a scout) and umpire Simon Taufel.
So what`s new about this season?
RCB`s name, Shreyas Iyer asthe most experienced captain and three first-time IPL skippers in Ruturaj, Pat Cummins and Shubman Gill! Rishabh Pant is obviously back after his devastating car crash and we are yet to know the full schedule of the season! Then there`s the small matter of Rohit playing under Hardik`s captaincy and how MI play their first game in, umm, you guessed it right, Ahmedabad.
But there`s also more in terms of playing conditions:
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Two bouncers per over will be allowed. ICC only allows one bouncer per over!
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The third umpire will continue to check for a catch when a stumping is referred. ICC recently amended that.
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There will be no stop clock rule in the IPL, a recent change by the ICC which gives the bowling side 60 seconds between overs
What`s on the menu today?
CSK v RCB. In Chennai.
There won`t be Dhoni and Kohli walking out for the toss but trust the old rivalry to endure.
Did you know that RCB`s middle-order Indian batters managed a solitary 50+ score all season and how after 16 seasons, Rahul Dravid`s 898 runs remains the second-highest run tally by an Indian batter for the franchise. CSK have no such issues but this season would be about reestablishing dominance at home. Last season, they lost three at Chepauk, which isn`t routine for the five-time champions.
What are they saying?
Stephen Fleming on Dhoni: “I am expecting MS to play and play well. The indications from the pre-season are that he`s going really well. The body is a lot better, stronger than last year with his knee and from what I can see, his desire to contribute and do well are as high as ever which is great for us.”
Justin Langer on India`s T20 World Cup spots: “If we [LSG] have team success, everyone will be rewarded. That`ll be the message for all the players, including Bishi [Ravi Bishnoi] and KL, and there`s a few others who will be vying for T20 World Cup spots.”
Picture of the day
