IPL 2018 Opens At A Glitzy Ceremony
THE 11th edition of IPL commenced after scintillating performances by Hrithik Roshan, Varun Dhawan, Prabhu Deva, Tamanna Bhatia, Jacqueline Fernandez and Mika Singh in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Captains of the eight teams have taken oath to play fair and in the spirit of the game. They do it with digital signatures as not all of them could come for the ceremony due to their matches in other venues. The huge crowd included several dignitaries from sports, entertainment and other walks of life.The inaugural T 20 match was played between the defending champion Mumbai Indians and Chennai Supper kings. CSK has made a come-back after ending two seasons’ suspension in the wake of committing irregularities, is two-time champions. The finale will also be held in the same stadium on May 27. A total of eight teams are participating in the world’s most prestigious and cash-rich Twenty20 tournament comprising several veteran and youngsters from India and overseas. Sixty matches will be played at nine venues across 51 days in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Indore and Mohali. Besides Mumbai Indians and, Chennai Super Kings, the other teams are Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Dare Devils and Kings XI Punjab. Rajasthan Royals is participating this year after remaining suspended for two editions for alleged irregularities committed by their some players. IPL authorities have confirmed that the Decision Review System (DRS) already used in the Twenty Internationals will be introduced in the ongoing IPL.Under DRS, TV replay system will be utilised if a team challenges an umpiring decision. Each team is given one chance to review an umpiring decision during a T20 innings at the international level. IPL League has inked a three-year deal with Tata Nexon as its partner. Tata Motors also announced at a media conference that the company was looking for “a long-term relationship” with IPL.”The synergy between Tata Nexon and IPL is immense. We are delighted to be part of the T20 League,” said Tata Motors’ Passenger Vehicle Business Unit’s President, Mayank Pareek.The player with the best strike rate in each IPL game will be rewarded and a Nexon car will be given to the player with the overall highest strike-rate in the entire upcoming tournament ,he added. Incidentally, The Wankhede Stadium with a capacity for 33,108,was built at the initiative of S. K. Wankhede, then the Secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association in South Mumbai near the Churchgate station in six months. India and the West Indies played the test in the stadium in 1975. Since then the Wankhede stadium has emerged as the main cricketing venue in India’s Cricket Capital. The IPL Governing council has swapped the dates of Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP) home matches with the first three games being held in Mohali (in April) and the last four games in Indore (in May) owing to some logistical issues. As per the revised itinerary, KXIP will play in Mohali on (April 15, 19 and 23) instead of Indore. The 2018 edition of the IPL was declared by tournament chairman Rajeev Shukla. (Image: courtesy sports channel)
