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Dream11 IPL 2020 is back in action, but at what cost?

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The Dream11 Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 13th edition is witnessing the most enthusiasm and excitement amongst the players and viewers from all over the world. The change in location from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is quite upsetting for the Indian audience. Nevertheless, the passion for cricket has always been never-dying!

Dream11 Title Sponsor of IPL 2020.

Picture courtesy : Dream11 on    Instagram

There are a total of eight teams playing for the 13th edition of IPL. The franchisees with their respective captains are:

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) playing under India’s former captain, captain cool M.S. Dhoni.
2. Delhi Capitals (DC) under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, the youngest captain this season.
3. Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) under debut captain KL Rahul.
4. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) shining under Dinesh Kartik
5. Mumbai Indians (MI) led by India’s stand-in captain, Rohit Sharma.
6. Rajasthan Royals (RR) under the captaincy of Australia’s greatest, Steve Smith
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head by India’s current skipper, Virat Kohli
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) under another Australia’s greatest player, David Warner.

All Skipper’s Of Dream11 IPL 2020
Picture courtesy : sportsmonks.com/

Mumbai Indians, the defending champions who claimed the Vivo IPL 2019 title lift the trophy 4th time in the last season. They will face the runners-up Chennai Super Kings for the inaugural match on 19th September which is to be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Dhoni’s yellow army has won the title three times and have come 2nd for five times since the inception of IPL in 2008.

As per statistics report of the Times of India, CSK has the highest winning percentage of 60.61. Just after them is Mumbai Indians, with 57.22% winning ratio. Delhi Captials stands the lowest chance with the winning ratio of 42.7%.

With too many changes in the squad, KXIP is unlikely to perform well in the tournament. However, when IPL took place in UAE in 2014, although partially (due to General Elections in India), Kings XI were runners-up. We never know if they might get lucky this season but Brad Hogg isn’t on the same page.

“They are too much up and down. That’s why Kings XI are going to finish last,” Hogg feels.

KXIP who are yet to get their hands on the coveted trophy, got off to a great start in the past two seasons under the captaincy of Ravichandran Ashwin. With KL Rahul leading the side this season, it’s yet another change which may or may not work in their favour.

Speaking of champions and runner ups, the current Indian skipper’s team RCB has been always been at the loosing end too. They usually finish in 2nd half I’d the points table. They’ve never lifted the trophy but have been runners-up twice.

Needless to say, the ongoing pandemic has played a huge role. The upcoming season will prove to be a challenge for everyone right from players to ground staff and from journalists to viewers as well.

Here are some drastic changes that we shall witness:

1. Empty stands

It’ll be a totally different experience for players with no spectators in the stands. The constant hooting, cheering, display of placards & banners by the sightseers add to the fabulous ambience of the stadium. It will be disheartening not just for the players but the audience as well. Truly the new normal, the one we don’t approve of!

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE to host 12 league matches of Dream11 IPL 2020
Picture courtesy : Twitter/@sharjahstadium

Economically too, this idea doesn’t sound good! No spectators means no revenue generated by ticket sales. This may burn a huge hole in the sponsors’ pockets.

2. Concussion substitutes

For the first time in the history of IPL, we shall see concussion substitutes meaning; replacement of an injured or ill player from the team.

Another sad news for the audience is that since the nation-wide lockdown in India, there has been no update on the All-Stars Match. In order to raise money for charity, BCCI had earlier announced to organize an All-Stars Match before the commencement of IPL’s 13th edition.

We haven’t decided the names of the teams for the All-Stars game but there will be a team of overseas players from the IPL. It will be an annual affair – BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said after the IPL Governing Council’s meeting on 27th January’20.

The competition was to be held between a team from South and West i.e. comprising players from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) versus another team from North and East which will include players from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Delhi Capitals (DC).

Keeping all worries at bay, the first match in the men’s league stage is between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings.

From left – Rohit Sharma, Captain of Mumbai Indians with M.S.Dhoni, Captain of Chennai Super Kings
Picture courtesy : Instagram/@TimesOfIndia

We are sure to see some action for the Women’s IPL too starting on 1st November. The players are gearing up. The audience, too, is eagerly waiting for this league to commence on such a high note. With just 10 days to go, our enthusiasm is sky high!

Let us know how excited you are in the comments below 😬