IPL, Annual Cricket Fest, Kicks Off On April 7 At Mumbai
THE first match of the 11th edition of Indian Premier League –IPL-will be played in Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium after the opening ceremony on April 7.The match will be between Mumbai Indians versus Chennai Supper kings .The finale will also be held in the same stadium on May 27. A total of eight teams will participate 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 (Chandigarh). In the opening match, defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on two-time winners Chennai Super Kings. 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. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will participate this year after remaining suspended for two editions for alleged irregularities committed by their some players. Responding to a query by scribes, IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla has confirmed that the Decision Review System (DRS) already used in the Twenty Internationals will be introduced in upcoming edition of the IPL.”Yes, this idea has been going around for many years,” he said at a media conference in Mumbai on Wednesday. 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. He also announced that the IPL League has inked a three-year deal with Tata Nexon as its partner saying there is “great synergy between IPL and Tata Nexon.”Tata Motors also announced at the 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 (pic: courtesy Deccan Chronicle)
