The tournament
It's that time of the year again when the IPL caravan is upon us. But this time, it's no DLF, no Vivo, but our beloved, our very own Tata group that has befittingly won the title rights for the premier tournament.
What's also new is the format of 10 teams playing the biggest, and by far, the richest T20 league in the world. Apart from the new title sponsor and number of teams, what's also changed is the format.
The format
We do not have each team playing every other team home and away (would have made it 9x2=18 matches) for this edition. Divided into groups of 5 each, they play their group's teams twice + with the team in the same row in the second group (4x2+1x2=10) and once each with their corresponding team in the same row from the second group (4x1=4).
The players
No Pandyas in MI? No Chahal in RCB? No Faff in CSK? No Rashid in SRH?
Be prepared to take some time, as you get used to figure out the team combinations in the new order. But that shouldn't really matter eventually. At the end of the day, it is about which set of players gel better, execute better, and put on a performance that could catapult them to not just victory but even higher gains, glory, and superstardom.
So, let's get going with the fun - fun, which is serious business - the Indian Premier League 2022. May the best cricket win!
