The fourth edition of the Indian Premier League begins tomorrow. There will be dancing girls, blaring music and thousands of screaming fans. On the same day the English county season gets under way, where there will be none of the above apart from a sprinkling of traditional souls politely applauding the 112th County Championship campaign.
The two are worlds apart. Whereas the championship is safe and cosy, the IPL, tainted by corruption allegations, is ever-changing and unpredictable. This season there are two new “franchises”, a new format and there has been a veritable merry-go-round of player movement, with some sides unrecognisable from previous years.
There is a lot to take in. So before the 74-match season, which runs until the final at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, get up to speed with a crash-course guide. Chennai Super Kings take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match. Not quite the same as Leicestershire v Glamorgan is it?
Who are the teams?
In group A 2009 champions Deccan Chargers are with Delhi Daredevils, King’s XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors, a new franchise. Holders Chennai, inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, another new team, make up group B.
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How does it work?
In the group stage, each team plays 14 games: facing the other four teams in their group two times each (one home and one away game), four teams in the other group once, and the remaining team two times. The best four qualify for the play-offs with the group stage winners meeting the runners-up for a place in the final. The loser will meet the winner of an eliminator between the teams which finished third and fourth in what will effectively be a semi-final.
Likely winners
Mumbai are the favourites to win a first title. It is easy to see why. They boast Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard, the big-hitting West Indies batsman, Harbhajan Singh, the India spinner, and Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka’s death-bowling expert.
Chennai, under the inspirational stewardship of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s World Cup-winning captain, will fancy defending their title, particularly with Suresh Raina, the top runscorer, in their ranks. Kochi and Rajasthan, captained by Mahela Jayawardena and Shane Warne respectively, could cause a surprise.
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The duds
Delhi appear to have one of the least balanced squads in the tournament, which is some achievement considering they spent more than $6 million at the auction. Instead of buying spin bowlers, who took up four of the top five wicket-taker positions in the last tournament, they will rely on Virender Sehwag and David Warner, the Australia opener, getting them off to fast starts with the bat.
Rich kid
The most expensive player is Gautam Gambhir, the India opener. Kolkata paid $2.4 million and immediately appointed him captain. The opening batsman is the seventh highest IPL runscorer.
The England contingent
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Only three Englishmen are expected to appear. Eoin Morgan was signed by Kolkata, Owais Shah will play for Kochi and Michael Lumb, the Hampshire batsman, for Deccan. Kevin Pietersen, who cost Deccan $650,000, is not fit after a hernia operation.