Indian Premier League 2019 [Preview]

2019 Indian Premier League is all set to played in the month of March and April in India. The 12th edition of the league will start early due to general elections being played in India in May. A total of 60 matches will be played across eight venues in India.

Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Bangalore Challengers, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, and Mumbai Indians are franchises that will participate in this year’s competition. The competition will begin on 23rd March when Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings on Royal Challengers Bangalore in M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The major signings in this year’s IPL auction were Varun Chakravarthy, Colin Ingram, Sam Curran, and Carlos Brathwaite. Uncapped Leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy bagged the top price of Rs 8.4 crore. Kings XI Punjab signed him for this year’s competition.

England pace bowler Sam Curran was also bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 7.2 crore. Delhi Capitals signed former South African batsman Colin Ingram for Rs.6.4 crore. West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite also bagged a hefty price of Rs 5 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders.

Chennai Super Kings did not make any significant changes in the IPL auction held in Jaipur earlier this year. Reigning Champions Chennai Super Kings have experienced players in their ranks. MS Dhoni will be confident of successfully defend their crown this season.

Vijay Shankar and Shahbaz Nadeem are valuable additions to Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for the coming season. It remains to be seen whether David Warner will participate in the Indian Premier League. Sunrisers Hyderabad Captain has been out of action after being handed out a one-year ban by Cricket Australia for his alleged involvement in the ball-tampering incident that happened in South Africa.

For the revamped Delhi Capitals, Shikhar Dhawan and Colin Ingram will undoubtedly bolster the batting resources this season. The side has been perennial under-achievers in the history of the league and will be keen to turn the tide in this year’s competition. Delhi will be hoping to start afresh in this year’s tournament after not doing well last year.

Two-time IPL Champions Kolkata Knight Riders have made acquisitions for the coming season. Joe Denly, Carlos Brathwaite, Lockie Ferguson, and Anrich Nortje are valuable additions to the squad this season. Dinesh Karthik will continue to lead the side for the coming season.

Three-time Champions Mumbai Indians will have signed Barindar Sran, Yuvraj Singh, Anmolpreet Singh and Rasikh Dar for the coming season. Rohit Sharma will lead Mumbai Indians for the forthcoming edition of the league.

Kings XI Punjab has undoubtedly spent huge money in a bid to turn their fortunes around this year. Vikram Chakravarthy, Moises Henriques, Sam Curran, and Mohammad Shami are notable signings by Kings XI Punjab for this year’s tournament. Ravichandran Ashwin will lead the franchise for the coming season.

For Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shivam Dube, Shimron Hetymer, Heinrich Klaasen and Gurkeerat Singh Mann are new additions to the squad. Indeed, with the plethora of resources at their disposal, Royal Challengers need to step up and play to their potential in the coming season.

Inaugural IPL Champions Rajasthan Royals has made some smart choices in terms of player acquisition. Liam Livingstone, Varun Aaron, Oshane Thomas, Jaydev Unadkat and Ashton Turner are players that will strengthen the overall squad. Ajinkya Rahane will lead Rajasthan for this year’s competition.

It will be interesting to see how things go in this year’s competition. All sides do stand a chance of winning the coveted prize this season. The 12th edition of Indian Premier League is certainly going to be the biggest cricketing extravaganza this year besides Cricket World Cup.