This Friday, as the curtains rise on IPL, the spotlight will be on two former Indian captains, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, at the grand opening act at MA Chidambaram Stadium. While Dhoni has retired from international cricket, for Kohli, this IPL will be an audition for the 2024 World Cup scheduled immediately after the league ends.
The 35-year-old premier batter, who was on paternity leave, has been out of action for over two months. His last outing was in the T20I series against Afghanistan. After that, he pulled out of the five-match Test series against England.
Kohli joined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp in the early hours of Monday and has been working hard at the nets. However, on the eve of their opener against Chennai Super Kings, the former RCB captain chose to skip the training session on Thursday.
Kohli, who is still gunning for the elusive IPL trophy, will be heading into the tournament without much training or match practice behind him. However, CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming expects Kohli to be ‘very dangerous’.
1/9:Players to play for most teams in IPL
Agencies
2/9:Dinesh Karthik - 6
<p>Dinesh Karthik has had stints with six IPL teams: Delhi Daredevils (DD), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Lions (GL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).<br /></p>Agencies
3/9:Varun Aaron -6
<p>Varun Aaron's IPL journey has taken him through six teams:<br />Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Gujarat Titans (GT)<br /></p>Agencies
4/9:Murugan Ashwin - 6
<p>Murugan Ashwin has played for six IPL teams:</p><br />Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS), Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Mumbai Indians (MI), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)Agencies
5/9:Ishant Sharma -6
<p>Ishant Sharma's IPL journey with six different teams:</p><br />Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Deccan Chargers, Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS)Agencies
6/9:Yuvraj Singh - 6
<p>Yuvraj Singh's IPL journey has taken him through six teams:<br />Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Pune Warriors India (PWI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Mumbai Indians (MI)<br /></p>Agencies
7/9:Manish Pandey - 7
<p>Manish Pandey's IPL journey spans across seven teams: Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Pune Warriors India (PWI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Delhi Capitals (DC).<br /></p>Agencies
8/9:Jaydev Unadkat - 8
<p>Jaydev Unadkat has represented eight different IPL teams over his career: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Daredevils (DD), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Mumbai Indians (MI), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).<br /></p>Agencies
9/9:Aaron Finch - 9
<p>Aaron Finch has played for nine different IPL teams throughout his career: Rajasthan Royals (RR), Delhi Daredevils (DD), Pune Warriors India (PWI), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Lions (GL), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).<br /></p>Agencies“His (Kohli) mental strength is something that I admire and others around the world admire. And whatever the challenges are in front of him, he will always find a way. It might have been a refreshing thing to get away from the game, refresh mentally and physically and come back. He’s had a life celebration as well. We’re expecting him to be at his very best. And if we can restrict that, that would be great,” said Fleming.
Mo Bobat, RCB’s director of cricket operations, said Kohli is ‘fresh’ with energy and has had some practice sessions in the past few days. “Virat is in a good place. He is coming in fresh…with energy. He is in a great frame of mind. He’s looking forward to getting involved. He has had a few hits with us over the last few days and he is hitting the ball brilliantly.”
1/10:IPL 2024: A look at jerseys of all 10 teams
Agencies
2/10:Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
<p>The jersey features a sleek design with vibrant blue fabric accented by striking orange lining along the sides, adding a dynamic and modern touch to the ensemble.</p>Agencies
3/10:Delhi Capitals (DC)
<p><u></u>Delhi Capitals seemingly retain their jerseys from the previous season, with no official announcements regarding changes.</p>Agencies
4/10:Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
<p>KKR's jersey for IPL 2024 incorporates blue mixed with gold throughout the ensemble, reflecting elegance and sophistication.</p>Agencies
5/10:Rajasthan Royals (RR)
<p>RR surprise fans with an all-pink jersey, celebrating women empowerment during their match against RCB, showcasing solidarity and inclusivity.</p>Agencies
6/10:Gujarat Titans (GT)
<p>GT opt for simplicity, revealing their new jersey for IPL 2024 through social media posts and replicas for sale, maintaining a minimalist approach to design and branding.</p>Agencies
7/10:Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
<p>SRH kick off IPL 2024 with a unique jersey featuring an ensemble of orange diamonds, reminiscent of their SA20 jersey, showcasing innovation and vibrancy.</p>Agencies
8/10:Punjab Kings (PBKS)
<p>Punjab Kings' new jersey for IPL 2024, unveiled by co-owner Preity Zinta and captain Shikhar Dhawan, retains its core dark red color but incorporates blue accents.</p>Agencies
9/10:Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
<p>CSK's yellow jersey with hints of blue remains consistent for IPL 2024, as revealed through replicas available on their website.</p>Agencies
10/10:Mumbai Indians (MI)
<p>MI's new jersey for IPL 2024 maintains its iconic blue and gold color scheme, as seen in a video featuring Rohit Sharma, symbolizing continuity and strength.</p>AgenciesFormer Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden feels the Chepauk surface could be a challenging pitch for Kohli.
“Virat has an average of 30 at Chepauk with a strike rate of 111. It is a tricky surface to bat on, especially as an opening batter. It gets a weird tennis ball-type bounce and quite slow and difficult to play shots early, but the longer you bat, the game opens up and that’s where Virat can be at his most dangerous. If he is prepared to bat the 20 overs, he can put together a match-winning performance,” Hayden told Star Sports.
