MSD’S PLAN TO BAT DOWN THE ORDER BACKFIRES AS DC BEAT CSK BY 44 RUNS

Chennai Super Kings lost against Delhi Capitals by 44 runs. DC’s victory marked their second win this season while CSK has lost both their games so far.

On 25th September 2020 seventh match of Dream11 took place between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Team DC were forced to field after losing the toss.
CSK decided to make one change in their team, replacing pacer Lungi Ngidi with Josh Hazlewood.

Team DC made a few changes changes of their own owing to the circumstances wherein Ravichandran Ashwin was replaced by Amit Mishra as he was injured and Mohit Sharma replaced speedster Avesh Khan.
DC opener Prithvi Shaw gave their innings a good start, hitting two fours and one six in the first over, while in the next over, when CSK’s Sam Curran was bowling, Prithvi Shaw continued adding fours.

CSK’s spinners were below par and both Shaw was determined to stay at the crease for a big innings. In seventh over, he was on the offensive against CSK’s Piyush Chawla. Meanwhile DC’s Shikar Dhawan went after CSK’s Jadeja.

With a strong opening partnership things were in DC’s favour till the 10th over. But soon the game changed for Capitals as Chawla dismissed both Dhawan (35 off 27 balls) and Shaw (64 off 43 balls). Chawla had Dhawan was stumped by Dhoni in the 10th over, while Shaw ended up lbw in the 12th over.

In the 13th over we saw Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer on pitch. Pant and Iyer both added 58 runs to the score and played relatively safe till 19th over.

Picture courtesy: NDTV

It was then, when CSK captain Dhoni took a wicket and Capital’s pacer exited. After the last over, Delhi Capital’s posted 175/3 on board.
While on the field, DC has decided to not give away runs easily. And DC’s Kagiso Rabada and Azar Patel kept the bowling lines tight giving away only a couple of runs from their opening overs. While CSK’s Shane Watson was looking set to let loose both him and Murali Vijay were back in the hut by the six over with only 34 runs of the board for CSK.

Following the disaster, Faf du Plessis (43 off 35 balls) and Kedar Jadhav (26 off 21 balls) tried to plough the game back with a strong partnership and kept the hope alive for the team. But the wickets kept falling and Nortje bowling got Jadhav was out in the 16th over when Dhoni walked in. Despite the situation, there still seemed space for Dhoni to break even. But in the 18th over, Kasigo Rabada dimissed du Plessis.

Picture courtesy: Hindustan Times

The pressure kept mounting and all hope was lost when CSK needed 45 to win off the final over. Both Dhoni and Jadeja were dismissed by Rabada in the final over.

With this the Capitals sealed their second win this season in a row.
The Man of the Match was titled to Prithvi Shaw. His determined and focused batting in first over itself not only gained score but motivated the teammates too. Overall it was a nail biting match between the youngest one and oldest experience of the field.
Now, it would interesting to how it turns out to be between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Do let us know in the comments below.

KL Rahul’s century sails victory for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore!

Happy Kings XI dugout for beating RCB with a huge margin of 97 runs.

Kannur Lokesh Rahul. What an innings by this young man! He stole the show with his KLassic power strokes making 132* off 69 balls. After putting on to bat first by Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul played an anchor role to take his team towards victory.

KL Rahul opened the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal. Both of them got to a decent start. They batted throughout the power play and built a partnership of 57 runs in 7 overs after which Agarwal was bowled out by Yuzvendra Chahal. Agarwal contributed 26 runs off 20 balls.

Chahal strikes early, dismissing Agarwal

Picture courtesy : Instagram/@iplt20

Another partnership was built up between the skipper and the left handed Nicholas Pooran. They added 57 runs off 37 balls. This gave Pooran the license to hit biggies but failed terribly as the ball safely landed in Ab de Villiers’ hands at mid-off. Pooran badly executed the over pitched delivery by Shivam Dube.

Glenn Maxwell came in at number 4. Chahal was put to bowl for an interesting contest between the two lads. Maxi and Chahal have played 8 innings against each other out of which the leggie has dismissed Maxi on 5 occasions. However, Maxwell sneaked a single of Chahal’s only delivery to him, which was also Chahal’s last over for the innings. Anyway, Maxwell had to walk back cheaply in the next over off Dube. The Australian batter scored just 5 runs off 6 balls before he was caught by Aaron Finch at covers.

Karun Nair was the new man to support his captain playing beautifully on the other end. Nair scored 15 off 8 balls that he faced, for he gave maximum strike to his Kannada companion.

Rampant Rahul was playing exceptionally well. He hit his 17th IPL 50 in 36 balls, 68% of those runs came in 4s and 6s. Being the quickest runner that he is, he took runs in singles and doubles without getting tired. His performance on Dubai’s batting pitch was above par. The RCB bowlers struggled to dismiss him for when he played a loose shot, he was dropped by Virat Kohli twice (83 and 89 respectively) at the boundary between 6 balls.

Quite honestly I was nervous but I knew if I spend time in the middle, hit a few balls from the middle of the bat, it will all settle down. – KL Rahul at the post match presentation ceremony.

A few more stylish shots kept the scoreboard ticking. The Kings XI touched 150 runs in the 18th over. And then it was KL’s show for he scored his 2nd IPL century with a boundary over short third man. He took off his helmet and appreciated the applauses from his team mates and owners and did the “I don’t hear anything” celebration. KL Rahul has certainly, shut the noise with his hundred.

KL Rahul celebrating his century in style

Picture courtesy : Business Standard

Consequently, the wicket-keeping opener set a standard for all batsmen. KL completed 2000 IPL runs in 60 innings beating master blaster Sachin Tendulkar (63), which is the fastest by any Indian batsman. KL’s 132* is the highest score in IPL by any Indian and any Captain. The rightly admired leader of the pack is also the current holder of the orange cap with 153 runs, given to the batsman with highest runs in the tournament.

Playing with a strike rate of over 190, KL Rahul made sure that all the bowlers are punished and made RCB pay the price for winning the toss. While Umesh Yadav and Dale Steyn were brutally punished, the young boys Dube and Navdeep Saini controlled the run rate. Chahal gave his best giving away just 25 runs and picking a wicket of Mayank Agarwal in his quota of 4 overs.

Yet, the Royal Challengers had a mammoth total of 207 runs to chase.

The second innings started with left handed Devdutt Padikkal and right handed Aaron Finch. After a great debut in the first match, Paddikal was caught out after making just one run from 2 balls in the first over by Sheldon Cottrell. The new batsman Joshua Philippe was plumbed for a duck in the next over by Mohammed Shami. Virat Kohli, in at 4, fell prey in the 3rd over. The pressure built up on the skipper made him play big shots leading to mistakes. He was caught by Ravi Bishnoi after making just 1 run from 4 balls.

Virat Kohli’s early dismissal turned out to be fatal for RCB

Picture courtesy : Twitter/@RCBTweets

A partnership was forming between ABD and Finch. Finch was caught leg before wicket but a review by RCB at the right time changed the original decision by the on-field umpire. With 2 great batsmen at the crease, the pressure was on the young bowler Bishnoi. His first over turned out to be very expensive for he gave 2 extras and 3 boundaries, totaling at 15 runs. Perhaps, Bishnoi with a big heart came back stronger and bowled Finch for 20 runs off 21 balls. Murugan Ashwin on the other end dismissed ABD for 28 runs off 18 balls. Both these batsmen were looking very dangerous but the spinners had their work done.

Ravi Bishnoi celebrating Finch’s wicket.

Picture courtesy : Twitter/@KingsXIPunjab

The score was 60 for 5 at the end of 9 overs. The next 5 wickets also fell down in the following 8 overs. The total was too big for the tailenders to chase down. After ABD was dismissed, just three 4s were hit by the RCB batsman. Whereas, KL Rahul had single handedly hit thirteen 4s and four 6s in his innings. He never lost his balance in doing so.

All in all, a very bad day for RCB especially the skipper for dropping catches and getting dismissed for just a run. Virat will have a few things to think about before his next game against Mumbai Indians, who are returning after a huge win over Kolkata Knight Riders.

I take brunt of it, I dropped some chances. Maybe if we had restricted them under 180, we would not be under pressure from ball 1 in the chase. – Virat Kohli at the post match presentation ceremony

With Anil Kumble alongside, the Kings XI Punjab are on top of the points table with +2.43 net run rate. Special mention to the captain for hitting in the gaps and playing with a straight bat, rousing us with the sweet noise of the bat and ball. Rightly deserved, he was lauded with awards at the post match presentation including the Man of the Match award.

Mohammad Shami and KL Rahul posing with their coloured caps for taking highest wickets and scoring highest runs, respectively, in the tournament so far.

Picture courtesy : Twitter/@KingsXIPunjab

Match Summary :

Kings XI Punjab 206/3 (20)

Playing XI – KL Rahul (C & WK), Mayank Agarwali, Karun Nair, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, James Neesham, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami and Sheldon Cottrell.

Royal Challengers Bangalore 109/10 (17)

Playing XI – Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Josh Philippe (WK), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, Dale Steyn, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Winning team – Kings XI Punjab (by 97 runs)

Man of the Match – KL Rahul

Dream11 Game Changer – KL Rahul

Altroz Super Striker of the Match – KL Rahul

Unacademy Let’s Crack it Sixes – KL Rahul

CRED Power Player of the Match – Sheldon Cottrell

Unquestionably, a perfect day for the Preity Zinta owned Kings XI team. But, it also happened to be one of the darkest days for the entire cricket fraternity. We lost Dean Jones earlier in the day. All the players wore a black band on their sleeves to show respect to our beloved Prof. Deano. The cricket world will never forget Australia’s greatest batter and fielder who set the bar for generations to come.

As the showman Prof. Deano was, the show must go on. With just a few hours remaining for another interesting match between the experienced, Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings and the youngest captain Shreyas Iyer’s Delhi Capitals.

Dean Jones

Picture courtesy : The Indian Express

Who’s your pick for tonight? Let us know in the comments below!

Experimenting didn’t pay well for CSK skipper MS Dhoni.

Chennai Super Kings fall short of 16 runs.

Dhoni & Smith are the two most successful captains in IPL with win% of 65.5 and 60 respectively, competed with their teams yesterday. It was high scoring match which Chennai super kings (CSK) fought till end. Rajasthan Royals (RR) had Scored 216 runs and CSK tried their best and reached till 200 & fallen short for just 16 runs. Sanju samson played destructive innings with fastest fifty of this IPL and also did great job with wicketkeeping . Jofra came out to be the game-changer with his batting and even bowling too which lead royals to win.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah it’s significant as that place has been very important for Indians. Because in 1980s and 1990s a lot of ODIs were played there and most of them against Pakistan and Australia. Sharjah’s ground is smaller than the other two grounds at UAE. So hitting boundaries will be easy but as the ball gets old, the pitch will grip it so a total like 160 could also be defendable. It’s totally different surface to Dubai or Abu Dhabi in terms of runs and the size of the venue. It is challenging situation for bowlers. As an high-scorer game is on the cards.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Picture courtesy: Gulf news .

“We saw grass at Abu Dhabi and Dubai. There is no grass on this wicket. I can’t predict any sideways movement. You will be thinking low bounce when you prepare to play on this wicket. Once you get a pace of the wicket, you can score quickly. So, the guy who wins the toss will like to chase,” reads Kevin Pietersen.

Chennai Super Kings had won the toss and have opted to field first, “due to dew as one of the factors,” as skipper MS Dhoni said.

Jaiswal and Smith were at the crease to open the game. No sooner then they were ready for the chase, Chahar broke the partnership by taking a wicket of Jaiswal. Later Samson coming into the picture who gave a hitting start supported by Smith. Samson completed his half century in 19 balls which made him the Man of the Match.

Picture courtesy: IPL twitter handle.

“50 from just 19. Such pure, clean, elegant hitting. I could watch Sanju Samson bat all day, every day.” – Harsha Bhogle.

Stats time:
Fastest 50s for RR in IPL
18 J Buttler v DD Delhi 2019
19 O Shah vs RCB Bengaluru 2012
19 S Samson vs CSK Sharjah 2020

After time-out Jadeja came back into attack and compensated for his last over by giving just 4 runs in this over. Here come one more big over by chawla giving 19 runs and got hit couple of six by Samson-Smith. Samson was unstoppable even Jadeja’s good bowling couldn’t stop him from hitting maximum. Ngidi came back into attack in 12th over and here he takes wicket of Samson who was ruthlessly playing. Miller, who came in to bat got run out without even playing a single bowl. It was 134-3 after 12 overs. Robbin uthappa stepped in to bat. Chawla who had given 47 runs in two overs was back and this time he compensated a bit by giving just 3 runs. It was 147-3 after 14 overs and here was the time for a strategic break. Chawla was back into attack and with first ball of the 15th over and he took uthappa’s wicket by bowling decently.

Yashasvi jaiswal after watching cricketing legend MS Dhoni in front of him.

Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

Ngidi came into attack and was beaten with a couple of fours. It was 166-4 after 16 overs. Sam curran was back and he took a couple of wickets in this over and bowled a decent over by giving just 7 runs. Chahar was back into attack in the 18th over and played in a fantastic manner in his bowling by giving just 3 runs in an over. After 18 overs it was 177-6. Now Sam curran was back into attack and he managed to get the big man Smith out by giving his efforts for the team He contributed 69 runs in 47 balls. It was 186 for 7 wickets after the 19th over and here was the batsman Jofra archer on strike with Ngidi bowling into attack but this over changed everything thing for Rajasthan Royals from 186 to 216 runs with the help of Ngidi and Jofra.

Some interesting stats of this innings were

17 sixes were now most hit by rajasthan royals.
This was the fourth highest total for RR in IPL.

Picture courtesy: ESPNCRICINFO twitter handle.

Then came the second innings, where Watson and Vijay were in the crease for opening and Unadkat was opening for the attack.
The 1st over was a decent one with 5 runs for unadkat as CSK needed to start hitting from the start to chase this huge run total. 2nd over by Jofra was again a great over in terms of bowling giving just 3 runs. Second over for Unadkat and Murli vijay opened with back to back boundaries and it was a decent over for CSK to be in the game. In the 4th over Jofra archer was welcomed by the maximum from Watson but other 5 balls were dot deliveres and Jofra compensated in this over itself. Shreyas gopal came into attack for 5tg over he gave 11 runs in this over. Hence it was 5 overs 36-0 Vijay was on 19 runs and Watson was on 16 runs. Watson hits a couple of sixes and one boundry for tom Curran’s over. 17 runs from 6th over was an hope for CSK to fight and be in the game strongly. Here comes first wicket taken by Rahul tewatia in 7th over of Watson who was at 33 runs. 8th over by Gopal got another shock with wicket of another opener vijay who scored 21of 21 balls. Du plessis was on the crease with Sam curran on the other end started hitting those risky shots. Where sam Curran scored quick 17 runs from just 6 balls and Tewatia took his wicket in the 9th over and there was a time out after 8.5 overs. Rituraj gaikwad a debutant came in to bat and went for a duck. Then shreyas gopal put a very decent over by giving just 5 runs. It was just 82-4 after 10 overs and all hopes were going away but there was one big hope alive as the skipper of CSK was yet to come.

Sanju samson flying to take catch.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter

Even Du plessis was settling down with kedar jadhav. Here comes the hatrick boundaries by kedar jadhav to bowler Shreyas gopal. It was 101-4 after 12 overs but had long way to go.

The Game was going away as there were a few dot balls poured. In the 14th over tom Curran took kedar Jadhav’s wicket who had scored 22 runs of 16 balls. But making the way for captain itself, MS Dhoni comes in and hopes rise again. In the 6th ball of 14th over Dhoni took his first run in the international cricket since the worldcup2019 semi-final.

It was 14 overs 115-5, And now Du plessis started hitting sixes to the stands in 15th over. Dhoni started batting without helmet which means he wanted to go for some big hits with Du plessis. 16 runs from 15th over showed some hopes alive for CSK. Again Jofra came into attack with his brilliant bowling figures giving only 7 runs in 16th over. 17th over Du plessis welcomed Unadkat with maximum and ended hitting two more sixes. It was 14th fifty for Faf duplesis, he was at 55 runs made by just 29 balls.

Faf du plessis hitting the ball.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

Needed 58 runs from 18 balls and Tom curran was back in to attack. He did decent bowling by giving 10 runs during death over. Here comes the star player Jofra into attack, giving just 10 runs and taking the wicket of another star player Du plessis. This stretched the game more towards rajasthan royals. Jadeja come to bat and 38 runs were needed from 6 balls which was impossible. Tom Curran was back in to attack but now Dhoni settled and started hitting biggies. 2runs in two balls and then Dhoni hits 3 back to back sixes from which one of it went out of the park. It was a 92 meters long six. He finished with single run and CSK fell short of just 16 runs.

Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

That 30 runs in last over of first innings, given by Ngidi to Royals, later took toll on CSK. Although the match results gone into hands of RR but CSK gave their 100% efforts and reached till 200 runs. As Dhoni’s experimental efforts with batting order didn’t showed results as he thought but learnings are the part of game and as we know CSK is such team they can come back stronger whenever they want.

“Steve and Samson batted very well. Need to give credit to their bowlers. I haven’t batted for a long time. 14-day quarantine doesn’t help (why he isn’t batting higher). Also wanted to try different things, give opportunities to Sam. Have the opportunity to try different things. If it doesn’t work, you can always go back to your strengths.” – skipper of CSK MS Dhoni.

MS Dhoni during post match presentation.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

Man of the match was given to Sanju samson for his extraordinary innings.

Sanju samson during post match presentation.
Picture courtesy: IPL handle on twitter.

“My game plan is stand and deliver. I’ve been working hard on my fitness, diet and training, and on my strength, because my game relies a lot on power hitting. I had time to work out in these 5 months, and I think I’ve increased that ability. We are happy to bring smiles on the fans’ faces and we hope to continue doing so.” – Man of the match Sanju samson.

Setting the sun of the Risers, RCB won by 10 runs.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Navdeep Saini changed the game for RCB.

The third match of Dream11 IPL 2020 played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) took-off in Dubai on 21st September. A happy day for all the RCBians! The team had a very difficult start last season but they bounced back starting with a winning match this year.

Taking a perfect estimation of the new ground, the Sunrisers chose to bowl first. However, they had a bad start amidst power play when they saw an astonishing opening partnership between Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch.

Aaron Finch was supposed to take the pressure off the young debutang. But no, it was the other way round. Hitting a huge six on Abhishek Sharma’s ball, Padikkal made his first half century at IPL in 37 balls. Sunrisers bowler Vijay Shankar came back into the attack by taking the wicket of unstoppable Padikkal and breaking the partnership.

Devdutt Padikkal said, “It was great to get the half century out of the way. It was the first game and I wanted to start of well. I am happy to have done that. So happy to be training with Kohli. I was just eating his ears trying to pick up as much as possible. He said who you face doesn’t matter as long as you have confidence in yourself. I enjoyed batting with finch. I was comfortable from the word go batting alongside with him.”

Picture courtesy: Sportsgrasp.com

The match was taken ahead by the fastest run taker AB de Villers and RCB captain Virat Kohli. Taking the responsibility of the team, De Villers scored his half century in 30 balls later hitting two sixes back to back on Sandeep Sharma’s over and setting a higher score for the Risers to chase. ABD also hit 200th six for the Royal Challengers.

Bowlers from Sunrisers were bowling pretty well after the power play. When Abhishek Sharma took wicket of Finch and Rashid Khan got the catch of the skipper Virat Kohli, the Risers built a little pressure on Challengers.

The conditions would have best suited the Sunrisers bowler Mitchell Marsh but succumbed to injuries, he had to walk-off the ground due to a limp in his leg. This brought a twist into the match and affected the best bowling side lethally.

Royal Challengers set a target of 164 which looked 20 runs short until Yuzi Chahal and Navdeep Saini came as a savior with their fantastic bowling. This match has given a feeling that RCB is now a well balanced side with the likes of 4 good batsmen in the top and middle order and a great mix of spinners and pacers in their team.

With the opening partnership of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, Sunrisers were all set to chase the score made by the Royal Challengers. In the very first over by Dale Steyn, Warner started-off the chase by hitting a boundary.

RCB bowler Umesh Yadav who wasn’t bowling good, fortunately ran-out Warner at the non-strikers end. Bairstow who scored a half century, managed to do that because of the weak fielding by RCB where he got saved thrice from a catch out. Manish Pandey and Bairstow had built a good partnership which could have led to a win.

However, it was then the RCB’s bowlers show. Yuzvendra Chahal came into the picture by taking Manish Pandey’s wicket in his 3rd over and stumped Bairstow and Vijay Shankar back to back. Another bowler from RCB, Navdeep Saini who stumped Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan one after the other.

With the never say die attitude, Mitchell Marsh came to bat but his injured leg did not allow him to stay on the pitch for long. He got a catch out by Virat Kohli after hitting the first ball. Pulling up the score to 146 SRH needed 18 runs in the last 6 balls. But with a brilliant show put up by RCB bowlers, the tailenders were dismissed soon and consequently lost all 10 wickets.

Picture courtesy: Moneycontrol.com

The man of the match award was given to RCB spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for taking 3 wickets and giving just 18 runs in his spell of 4 overs.

Yuzi Chahal said, “When I bowled my first over, I realized I need to bowl stump-to-stump line and backed myself. When Vijay came Virat and AB told me to go for a googly and it worked. I put some mud on my hands to make sure there is no dew.”

THE WAIT IS OVER!💙💛

Just one day to go for the inaugural match of Dream11 IPL 2020!

The stage is set. The pitch is unrolled. Pads on. Bats held high. We are less than 24 hours away from the inaugural match of Dream11 IPL 2020. The defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The rivalry between MI and CSK makes the match all the more intense. The two teams and their jersey colours give us a feeling of the clash between India and Australia. And what better way to start the 13th edition of Indian Premier League?😍

Both the franchises have the title trophies on their rack. The Dhoni-led Super Kings have been the most consistent of the tournament for they’ve reached the playoffs stage for all the 10 seasons they played. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians team have won 4 titles including Vivo IPL 2019 trophy.

Mumbai and Chennai have competed in the final stage multiple times. The final match from last season also took place between these two magnificent teams with MI winning the watch after Shardul Thakur (CSK) was stumped by Lasith Malinga (MI) on the last ball.

It’s a usual misfortune of Mumbai Indians of losing the initial matches in the league stage. And magically, we see the MI paltan lifting the trophy at the end of the 60th match of the tournament. The blue army tend to leave no stone unturned in the second half of the tournament and are supported by sheer dedication by their owner Nita Ambani who is always found praying in the stands.

Perhaps, according to a statistics report released by the Times of India (TOI – leading national daily in english), CSK has the highest winning percentage of 60.61. Just after them is Mumbai Indians, with 57.22% winning ratio.

A twist to this interesting contest is that from this IPL season onwards, we will have the third umpire checking the front foot no-ball. An off-field umpire will use technology to judge when bowlers overstep their front-foot on the crease. A trial for these has been conducted and passed by BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.

This advancement in technology will prove to be very crucial because when we date back to one of the matches played between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2019, the result of the match could have been the other way round. Lasith Malinga from MI had bowled the last ball a front foot no-ball. What’s important is that, that overstepped delivery turned the tables. It stopped RCB from winning the match and in turn, taking away their chance in going to the play offs.

Coming back to the teams that will play tomorrow, here are the squads :

Mumbai Indians – Rohit Sharma, Anmolpreet Singh, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Nathal Coulter – Nile, Quinton de Kock, Digvijay Deshmukh, Ishan Kishan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Chris Lynn, Mitchell mcClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Kieron Pollard, Prince Balwant Rai, Anukul Roy, Aditya Tare, Saurabh Tiwary, Jayant Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav.

Chennai Super Kings – MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore, Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif.

The delay of the tournament and with rumours on IPL getting cancelled, the fans are overwhelmed when it is finally commencing. No matter which team wins, both MI and CSK have massive fan following and we can say with confidence that we will have a thriller tomorrow.

Team 30Yards is having a battle of it’s own between TeamBlue and TeamYellow. What’s your pick for tomorrow? Let is known in the comment section below!

Will Thala and Co. roar in UAE?

Dream opportunity for CSK to level up with MI for who knows that this season might be the last IPL under Mahi’s captaincy.

On the eve of India’s 74th Independence Day, Mahendra Singh Dhoni put up a video on his Instagram and announced his retirement. Without any media outrage, without any press conference, without a farewell speech, M.S. Dhoni finished off in style. The video consisted of images of him along with his teammates throughout his cricketing career with his favourite song as background – “Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon” from the movie “Kabhi Kabhie”.

Picture courtesy: Monster.com/

From 19 hours 29 mintues on 15th August’20, time stopped for the entire cricketing fraternity. Even though everyone knew Dhoni’s retirement is around the corner, but when that moment arrived, every human who’s associated with cricket be it as a player or a fan felt a huge void in their heart.

Our Captain cool has been the most successful captain for India. He has brought back home all the ICC (International Cricket Council) trophies.

“And as a captain, he is quite conservative in his tactics. But he waits for you to make a mistake and then the cobra goes for the squeeze. People will always remember what he has done. He will be in my top five Indian players of all time,” said Dean Jones, former Australian cricketer in a recent episode of Star Sports’ chat show Cricket Connected.

Dhoni is popularly known as the finisher when it comes to chasing the scoreboard. We already miss his aerial shots especially his helicopter shot. One of the biggest coincidences of Dhoni’s career is that he was run out in his debut as well as in the last One Day International (ODI) match that he played.

“Dhoni finishes off in style. India lifts the World Cup after 28 years of long wait” – Ravi Shashtri, the then commentator.
Picture courtesy : Scoopwoop.com/

Following the footsteps of Thala, Chinna thala, also announced his retirement from international cricket minutes after Dhoni. Since then everyone is eager to watch Suresh Raina play alongside Mahi for Dream11 IPL 2020, which according to sources, might be the last IPL for M.S. Dhoni.

“I think this tournament will be extra special for everyone – the players as well as the audience…watching Dhoni back on the pitch is sure to be a delight. There’s so much in store, need I say more?” Virender Sehwag said.

Picture courtesy: Twitter/ChennaiIPL

IPL is just another national festival for all the crazy cricket fans in the country. Although the tournament is shifted to UAE, we are on the edge of our seats. But as good things are momentary, CSK received a big blow when 13 members from their management including Deepak Chahar, a very crucial pacer for the Super Kings, were tested positive for COVID-19.

Just when they managed to balance the team, Suresh Raina, middle order batsman and a terrific fielder, and Harbhajan Singh, spinner, pulled themselves out from the tournament owning to personal reasons.

“We will miss our senior players but at the same time, it is an opportunity for others to stand up and prove themselves. We are confident of doing the job well with what we have,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.

After recovering from coronavirus, Deepak Chahar has started training again. He had to undergo a cardiovascular test as per BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) procedures and after BCCI’s nod, he has entered the bio-bubble as of 9th September’20. He also furnished certificates of two COVID-19 negative test results.

“He will start training from today (10th Sept’20). He has got necessary clearance from BCCI. The team is training hard and in good shape. We are looking forward to our first game,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.

The Super Kings maintaining social distance during team discussions

Picture courtesy: Twitter/ChennaiIPL

As per IPL statistics report of the Times of India (TOI), Chennai Super Kings has has the highest winning percentage of 60.61 for the 10 seasons that they played.

Chennai Super Kings is a synonym for consistency. The yellow brigade is the most consistent team in the Indian Premier League, reaching the play-off stage in every season they have been a part of.

Super Kings have lifted the IPL trophy 3 times in the years 2010, 2011 and 2018. They were the first runners-up last year for the 5th time. They are the only team to earn the Purple Cap (given to the bowler who has taken highest number of wickets in the tournament) four times in IPL history.

Winners of Vivo IPL 2018
Picture Courtesy :

Picture courtesy: DNA India

With just 2 days left, M.S. Dhoni led CSK and Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians (MI) are gearing up for an interesting contest. Will the yellow army lift the Dream11 IPL 2020 trophy or will MI be the defending champions?

Our emotions are running high. Are you on the same page? Let us know in the comment section below!

Dream11 IPL – the trailer to a bigger picture

We’ve got ‘behind the scenes’ for WCT20 2021!

Cricket fanatics all over the world are going crazy with the delayed, yet, upcoming edition of Dream11 IPL 2020 which is all set to begin in just 3 days. Well, this must be the greatest news in the year of unprecedented times, but what’s more to come will blow your mind. (Time to flip our calendars!)

We all know that due to upsurge in COVID-19 cases across our country, the Indian Premier League is shifted to UAE (United Arab Emirates). In fact, it’s not just IPL. A lot more tournaments have been either postponed or called off. One of the major cricketing events i.e. ICC Men’s World Cup T20 has also been postponed ‘and shifted’.

Originally scheduled from 18th October’20 to 15th November’20, the 7th edition of the WCT20 was to be played in Australia. However, a change in plans has led to the tournament to be hosted in India! (You heard that right!) WCT20 is likely to commence on 14th October’21 and go on till mid November.

Picture courtesy : Twitter/@ICC

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We now have absolute clarity on the future of ICC events enabling all of our Members to focus on the rescheduling of lost international and domestic cricket. We will now proceed as planned with the Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in India and host the 2022 edition in Australia”.

Having said that, IPL in UAE will prove to be an interesting contest. The change of host countries will benefit a lot of players. This is one chance for all the players – be it Indian or overseas, to fix their spot in the squad way before the World Cup.

IPL’s 13th edition may look just like any other T20 tournament. Perhaps, avid followers like our team of #30Yards know how crucial this upcoming league will be. We understand the importance of the upcoming events. We see the bigger picture and that’s exactly why we are here today. To share the deets with you! 😉

Let’s take a look at the ways in which IPL in UAE will be very crucial from the World Cup perspective:

1. Climatic conditions : The weather in UAE is hot and humid. The lowest average temperature (as of 16th Sept’20) of Abu Dhabi is 27°C and highest average temperature is 39°C. As per the tentative schedule of WCT20 in India in 2021 (October to November), the average temperatures will more or less be similar to that of Abu Dhabi currently. Playing in UAE in such kind of weather will prepare the players for the World Cup. They will understand their body needs and increase their water intake accordingly to ensure that their performance is unaffected.

2. Pitch : Those 22 yards on the field decide the course of the game. Each pitch has its own nature which tells us whether that rectangular yield will be batsmen-friendly or bowler-friendly. The dusty pitch, which is soft and unrolled is best suited for spin bowlers because it offers extra turn. In the beginning of the innings, dusty pitches are very difficult to bat on. This is the kind of pitch Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will have; very similar to most grounds in India. In comparison to green pitches in England, Australia and South Africa which offer a lot of help to seamers, dusty pitches are a treat to spinners. This is one reason why we have the world’s greatest pacers in the likes of Jimmy Anderson, Mitchell Starc and Dale Steyn coming from western countries. Matches in UAE will be an amusing battle for batsmen as well to know which one will be the most suitable choice for their respective national teams.

R Ashwin and R Jadeja inspecting the pitch at Vishakhapatnam ahead of T20 match with South Africa in September’19

Picture courtesy : The Hindu

3. Last T20 league : As per the schedules lined up, IPL 2020 is probably the last T20 league all the players shall play before the World Cup. Except for the Big Bash League (BBL), Australia’s franchise T20 league, all other T20 tournaments are cancelled due to rise in coronavirus cases around the world. BBL’s 10th season will be played between 3rd December’20 and 6th February’21.

With all due reasons, this might be the last chance for players to mark their names. Cricketers who suffered injuries, were out of form or were dropped out of their national sides have now got the luxury of time to prove their mettle. All national selectors will watch IPL with a keen eye to help them decide the kind of talent they want to nurture for the next 10 months.

Furthermore, there are some notable players which we would like to observe as well. After M.S. Dhoni hanged his boots, India certainly needs a good wicket-keeping batsman. KL Rahul from Kings XI Punjab tops our list. We are excited to see how the debutant captain will play his game for there will be competition with Rishabh Pant from Delhi Capitals. If KL Rahul fixes his spot, he can either open with Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) who’s a prolific T20 batsman or with Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals) to create the left-right batting combination. Another problem India has had since a long time is the conundrum with no. 4 batsman but with Shreyas Iyer (captaining Delhi Capitals) stepping into the shoes, India looks ready. Perhaps, with the delay in the tournament, other players might be eyeing that position too.

Picture courtesy : DNA India

Coming down the order, Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians) is sure to book his seat. His brother from the same franchise, Krunal Pandya is a terrific spin – all rounder but Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) has an upper hand at the moment. Shivam Dube (Royal Challengers Bangalore), pacer all-rounder also has his chances as the 3rd all rounder in the squad. Moving on to bowlers, Navdeep Saini playing for RCB will have to prove himself to get selected for the WCT20 squad.

When it comes to overseas players, Ab de Villiers from Royal Challengers Bangalore looks solid for South Africa. ABD has always been a match winner be it with his magnificent strike rate or top-notch fielding. He was the top-scorer for SA at ODI (One Day International) World Cup 2015 and also had the highest strike rate of 144.31. After losing the 2019 World Cup on a low, the Proteas need a player like him to strengthen their batting order. Dale Steyn also playing for RCB shall need to take some quick wickets to book his seat.

Picture courtesy : The Indian Express

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see if these players are able to handle their nerves and play their cards right when needed. Time will tell us who will get selected and who will miss out a major opportunity to represent their national sides. There are many more such questions, and if not all, most of them would be answered in the upcoming season of Dream11 IPL 2020.

Which player you feel will surprise us the most this IPL? Let us know in the comments below!

Top Debutants to watch out for Dream11 IPL 2020!

The field where opportunity meets talent.

Being a part of our Indian Cricket Team has always been a dream of every cricketer and to support this honorable moment, the Indian Premier League has always acted as a milestone for all the young around the world. Be it the fast bowler Umesh Yadav (debuted in 2010) or youngest debutants in the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant who made sprawling entries in the Indian Cricket Team, IPL has always been a great platform for youngsters.

Left to right : Umesh Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw
Picture courtesy: Maalaimalar news website

Here are the top debutants for Dream11 IPL 2020 who are sure to win our hearts :

● Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals) –
Coming from a substandard background in Uttar Pradesh, this 18 year old boy is now a part of the Royal family. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a left handed batsman signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 2.4Cr. He is the youngest (age of 17) cricketer in the world to score a double century List A cricket. He scored 203 vs Jharkhand during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20. He was also the highest run scorer for the Under- 19 World Cup in 2018. It will be exciting to watch Yashasvi play alongside the veterans in UAE.

Yashasvi jaiswal at post match ceremony after scoring an century against pakistan in U19 Worldcup 2020.

Picture courtesy: TOI website

● Devdatt Paddikkal (Royal Challengers Bangalore) – A 20 year old cricketer from Kerala, Devdatt Paddikkal is known as the run machine in the Indian Domestic Cricket teams. In the last seasons of Vijay Hazare trophy and Syed Mushtak Ali trophy, no batsman scored more than Devdatt Panddikkal. He was the highest scorer in the Karnataka Ranji trophy as well. Devdatt was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 2019 Indian Premier League. Succumbed to injuries, Devdatt couldn’t play in the last season. Coming in at number 4, we hope to see Devdatt play and contribute along with star batsmen Ab de Villiers, Aaron Finch Finch the skipper Virat Kohli.

● Ravi Bishnoi (Kings XI Punjab) – Ravi Bishnoi, last seen in the U-19 World Cup in 2018 where he took the highest number of wickets, could become a key weapon for Kings XI on the slow UAE wickets. Bishnoi was bought by the Mohali franchise for a massive amount of Rs.2 Crore to add this 20 year old youngster to thier side. While the IPL is a different level of competition that adds a lot of pressure on players, Bishnoi can be a very valuable addition to the Kings XI den if he creates the same magic as he did in South Africa. “I will take whatever comes. But yes, I would like to get Steve Smith out. He is the No1 Test batsmen and he plays spin very well.” said Ravi Bishnoi.

Ravi bishnoi while bowling.

Picture courtesy : Sportzwiki

● Tom Banton (Kolkata Knight Riders) – Tom Banton, the 22year old English player is supposedly inpired by Kevin Pietersen’s game who loves to play a variety of unorthodox shots. Banton is a wicket keeper batsman bought by the Knight Riders for a whopping Rs.1Cr. With Chris Lynn gone, Baton shall play a crucial role opening the innings for KKR. Baton represented Brisbane Heat for Australia’s Big Bash League last year. He scored 223 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 177, with 3 half-centuries to his name. “England batsman Tom Banton is very exciting to watch and can be the X-factor for his side in IPL 2020” said KKR mentor David Hussy.

● Daniel Sams (Delhi Capitals) – As a replacement Jason Roy, Daniel Sams was picked up by Delhi Capitals on 27th August’20. Sams had picked up 30 wickets for Sydney Thunders in the last season of Big Bash League. After Rashid Khan, Sams was the highest wicket taker in the 2019-20 edition.

● Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Kolkata Knight Riders) – After playing a very important role in India’s U-19 World Cup win in 2018, Nagarkoti had got a chance to make his debut in IPL in 2018 when KKR bought him for Rs.3.2 crores. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury and had to leave the team. This 20 year old all-rounder is most likely to make his debut this year with KKR. In an interview he spoke about his injury, comeback and his relationship with U-19 batchmates and the overwhelming support that he has received from the Kolkata franchise.

Flying Nagarkoti.

Picture courtesy: Times now

Some more players making their IPL debut this year are :

Indians : Priyam Garg and Virat Singh for SRH, Darshan Nalkande for Kings XI Punjab, Sai Kishor and Ruturaj Gaikwad for Chennai Super Kings, and Kartik Tyagi for Rajasthan Royals.

U19 Worldcup 2018 champions with their trophy.

Picture courtesy: Times of india.

Australians – Alex Carey for Delhi Capitals and Chris Green for Kolkata Knight Riders.

West Indies – Sheldon Cottrell for Kings XI Punjab.

There will be competition. There will be pressure. There will be opportunities but jumping on the right opportunity at right time will decide the destiny of the players.

Let us know who are your favourite debutants for the upcoming edition of Dream11 IPL 2020!

Dream11 IPL 2020, the bubble game.

Greater the set-back, stronger the come-back.

Along with chasing the target runs, another challenge to the players for the upcoming season of IPL is to fight the ongoing pandemic. Keeping the guidelines in mind, the spectators are not allowed to visit the stadium. Commencing from 19th Sept’20 in UAE, all the cricketers will definitely miss the energy in the stands.

Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar feels, “It will be odd initially to play in empty stadiums as in India the crowd can act as a 12th man for the home team.”

Empty stands
Picture courtesy : Twitter/@iplt20

As a surprise, the franchise officials have decided to flash a pre-recorded video of the audience cheering in the stadium. This will be done so after every boundary is scored and a wicket is lost.

“The stadiums will be empty as everyone is looking to ensure that health protocols and bio-bubble regulations are strictly followed. So, it was decided that while some teams will record the reactions of cheerleaders, which will be played out for every four, six or wicket, other teams have decided to create small videos of fans cheering for them and those will be played out while the cricketers are battling it out in the middle,” the official said to a reporter from ANI.

Nevertheless, the excitement shall keep rising indoors too. Listening to the IPL 2020 Rap/Theme song “Aayenge hum wapas” (We will return) makes an attempt to pump up the energy in all houses which will soon turn into stadiums. The song was sung by rapper KR$NA (real name Krishna Kaul) and composed by Pranav Ajayrao Malpe. It will be inspiring to watch how the players as well as the audience cope up with the new normal.

While the sportsmen have been training rigorously ahead of the 13th edition, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council is working to keep things safe for the teams.

Venue manager Navdeep Arneja stated, “We have created two ovals for both the teams to practice simultaneously. No one from outside will be allowed to go inside and we will ensure that we are in a bubble environment.”

Sanitizing the ground for safety of the players and ground staff is the primary concern
Picture courtesy : Twitter/@AbuDhabiCricket

Due to rapid spread of coronavirus, it is made mandatory for all players and staff to undergo a six-day quarantine after reaching UAE. This ensures safety of other players. As per UAE government, players from all countries also need to furnish a COVID-19 negative certificates.

However, cricketers from England and Austraila are exempted from quarantining because they’re already in a bio-bubble from 4th September. They shall reach UAE via a charter plane on 17th September making them available for the opening matches of their respective teams.

“It is very clear from BCCI SOP that each and every player has to go through quarantine (in UAE). However, the players from England and Australia would already be in a bio-bubble as they would be playing the series there. If they continue to remain in that bio-bubble and we can send a charter plane then they are as secure as other players” explained Sanjeev Churiwala, Chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Virat kohli addressing his team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on a virtual meet.
Picture courtesy : Twitter/@Royal Challengers Bangalore

Playing in front of the home crowd has always been special for it is a moment of pride and enthusiasm. Sadly, this year the matches in the league stage will not be played in the round-robin format because the hosts, I.e. UAE has made only three stadiums functional.

For the league stage, 24 matches will played at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, 20 matches in the Sheikh Zayed Stadium at Abu Dhabi, and the remaining 12 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium located in Sharjah.

The opening match of this IPL season will take place in Abu Dhabi where the defending champions Mumbai Indians will face the runners-up of IPL 2019 Chennai Super Kings.

The action will then shift to Dubai on 20th September where Delhi Capitals will play against Kings Xl Punjab followed by the third match on 21st Sept between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the same venue.

Sharjah will host its first Dream11 IPL 2020 match on 22nd September when Rajasthan Royals will play against Chennai Super Kings.

There will be 10 double-headers, with the first match at 3:30pm (IST) and the second match starting at 7:30 pm (IST) in all cases. The finals are expected to be on 10th November. The venue for the same will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Here is the complete fixture for Dreams11 IPL 2020:

Dream11 IPL 2020 Schedule Part 1
Picture courtesy : IPLT20 official website

The Women’s IPL is set to take place between 1st November and 10th November. Due to overlapping with the Big Bash League, the squads, schedule and venue is yet to be announced for WIPL 2020.

Right from the virtual welcome meets, to social distancing norms to being secured in a bio-bubble environment, all the IPL teams are set to begin the chase. Are you too?

Dream11 – fulfilling dreams of the IPL 2020

Dream 11 bags Title sponsorship for IPL 2020!

Indian Premier League being the biggest cricket premier league around the world, catches attention of all the entertainment broadcasters and brands for marketing. Consecutively, audience show eagerness to know the sponsors and partners of IPL 2020.

Picture courtesy : Deccan Herald

After the outbreak of novel coronavirus and anti-China sentiments prevailed in India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended the title sponsorship of IPL 2020 from the Chinese tech-giant VIVO. After this, it became very difficult for sponsors to come on board majorly because there shall be no spectators on the stands so no revenue will be generated from tickets sales.

Fantasy gaming platform Dream11 is the proud title sponsor for the IPL this season. Dream11 (Sports Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) is an Indian company with its headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Journey of Dream11

Picture courtesy : News18

Why VIVO is not a tittle sponsor of IPL 2020?

Vivo Communication Technology Pvt. Ltd. popularly known as Vivo is a Chinese company that designs and develops smartphones, smartphone accessories, and online services. Vivo had signed a five year deal (2018-2022) with IPL of Rs.440 crore per year.

Due to Galwan stand–off between Indian and Chinese troops, Indian Government decided to ban many Chinese manufacturing products and to promote local, Indian products in the market. This led BCCI take away the sponsorship rights from Vivo this year. Another reason is the economic crisis caused by the havoc of Covid–19 pandemic, leading Vivo to negotiate the sponsoring amount with the BCCI.

However, BCCI was confident to have another title sponsor on board for this year’s IPL edition.

“Suspension of IPL title sponsorship with VIVO just a blip, not a financial crisis.” – Sourav Ganguly, BCCI President

Sourav Ganguly in one of the board meetings.

Picture courtesy: The Week

Before finalizing Dream11, some of the Indian contenders for the title sponsorship of IPL 2020 were:

• Patanjali – Our very own Yoga guru, social activist and business tycoon Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali is one of the Indian brands which earlier showed keen interest in sponsoring the IPL 2020.

“We are considering the IPL title sponsorship for this year since we want to give the Patanjali brand a global marketing platform.” a spokesperson, Patanjali

• Unacademy – The online education technology company Unacademy was also looking for the title sponsorship rights of IPL 2020. The company has 100% Indian investment and is already a part of the official partners line-up of IPL.

• Amazon – Amazon is one of the biggest e-commerce giants in the world, as well as in India. Amazon’s aim was not publicity but the need to be in competition with its rivals ranging from Flipkart to Jio in the Indian market.

• Paytm – The digital wallet service provider Paytm is also a part of the official sponsor panel of IPL. They were planning to get onboard as a title sponsor of IPL this year.

Contenders for sponsorship title for IPL 2020.

Picture courtesy : The Week

Owners and Sponsors of IPL teams:

• Delhi Capitals (DC) – Delhi Capital is owned by GM Rao-owned GMR Group. The team’s principal sponsors include JSW Groups, Ebix Cash and Lotus Herbals.

• Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) – Under the banner of ‘KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited’, the franchise is jointly owned by Bollywood actress Priety Zinta, Ness Wadia (Wadia Group), Mohit Burman (Dabur India Ltd.), The Oberoi Group and Karan Paul (Apeejay Surrendra Group).The title sponsor of Kings XI Punjab is Ebix Cash.

• Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – The two-time champions team KKR is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan (under the banner Red Chillies Entertainment) and Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla & her husband Jay Mehta (under the banner of Mehta Group). The principal sponsor of KKR is Mobile Premier League (MPL).

• Rajasthan Royals (RR) – Winners of the inaugural season in 2008, the Royals are jointly owned by Amisha Hathiramani, Manoj Badale, Lachlan Murdoch, Ryan Tkalcevic and Australian cricketer
Shane Warne who was also a part of the RR squad in the first few years of the IPL. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra owned RR with her husband Raj Kundra from 2009 to 2015. Raj was banned in 2015 by the Supreme Court of Indian after spot-fixing case in a match against Chennai Super Kings. Rajasthan Royals’ kit manufacturers and other sponsors are Alcis Sports, TV9 Bharatvarsh and a sanitary napkins brand by the name of Niine.

Picture courtesy : Amar Ujala

• Mumbai Indians (MI) – Mumbai Indians, 4 time title winners, is owned by India’s biggest conglomerate Reliance Industries of business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. The team is managed by his wife Neeta Ambani. Mumbai Indian’s principal sponsors are Samsung and Colors.

• Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – The team is owned by media baron Kalanithi Maran of the Sun TV Network. With JK Laxmi Cement as the title sponsor, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s principal sponsors are Ralco Typres, Jio, TCL, Valvoline, Dream11 and Nerolac.

• Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Bought by Vijay Mallya in 2008, RCB is now solely owned by Indian alcoholic beverage company United Spirits and is named under its brand Royal Challenge. RCB’s principal sponsor is Muthoot Fincorp.

• Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – The 3-time Champions team was initially owned by former BCCI president N. Srinivasan by means of his position as vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements Ltd. In January ’15, the Supreme Court of India made an amendment in the BCCI’s constitutional clause which disallows board officials to have commercial interests in IPL and Champions League T20. After which, the franchise is now completely owned by a separate company known as Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd. CSK’s principal sponsors for this year are Muthoot Group of Finance, India Cements, Gulf Oil, Nippon Paint, Clear Anti-dandruff shampoo and Jio Digital Life.

Suresh Raina from Chennai Super Kings playing against Delhi Capitals in a match from Vivo IPL 2019

Picture courtesy : Instagram/@iplt20

IPL is one of the biggest cricket league in the world and it is every company’s dream to invest in it. This time due to the suspension of Vivo as the title sponsor, Dream11 has taken a surprise entry to become the new title sponsor of IPL 2020. We are all curious to know if Vivo will make a comeback next year or Dream11 will continue its dream sponsorship rights or we will have a new partner on board. But for now, let’s catch up with all the cricketing action starting in about a week!

Stay tuned for all the fun!