As the World T20 comes to an end today, all attention will shift to the Vivo IPL. We do love this cricket carnival!
WHACK! BOOM! SMASH!.. You definitely read it right and you’d probably even hear it every year. The ninth edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League is back and this time it adds a whole new level of novelty to the cricket carnival. Firstly, let’s be a little honest here, a bit of a disappointment for the fans of The Royals and The Super Kings, an unwanted affair leading to the suspension of these two sides for two seasons.
But having said that, it’s time to move on as this Vivo IPL is waiting to display its invigorating side. Ever since its inception, the IPL has only gotten even better. Over the years, we have been lucky to witness few incomparable T20 records. From a highest team total of 263 by Royal Challengers Bangalore to a massive highest individual score of 175 by non other than the ‘Spartan’ himself. (Yes, we are talking about Chris Gayle). Well records are meant to be broken and we might just see a team or an individual go past these scores.
The purple and orange cap holders have primarily been dominated by the overseas players, with Gayle (he’s always in the picture when it comes to achievements) wearing it twice in a row (2011 & 2012).
Let’s throw some light on the talented bowling we’ve been privileged to witness so far.
Three out of the top five leading wicket takers are Indians. (Aren’t you feeling proud already!) Bhajji the Turbanator, the Leggies Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra. What’s more, Amit Mishra holds the record for maximum hat-tricks - claiming it thrice in the Indian Premier League.
Last but not the least, some magical wicket keeping by Dinesh Karthik has helped him bag the most dismissals amounting to 84 till now!
A plethora of controversies which included suspension of Lalit Modi, conflict with Cricket Club Of India, 2012-13 spot fixing cases, the infamous Bhajji slap, withdrawal of Pune Warriors India and so on and on have been a part of the IPL mayhem so far.
But what's a cocktail without some fizz! Here’s hoping the 2016 edition of the world’s famous T20 tournament will showcase what truly matters - CRICKET and lots of good CRICKET.
To add to the already insane IPL, we have two new teams joining the party this year namely, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants. The most successful partnership of Dhoni and Raina finally comes to an end as they both now would not only be adorning different jerseys but also captaining the two new teams.
With The T20 World Cup coming to an end, the nucleus of cricket shifts to the Vivo IPL 2016. Whether records will be broken or if the two new teams elevate the contagious cricketing fever, only time will tell. So, grab your tickets at BookMyShow and let the cricket fever take over, for cricket is not only a sport but a religion here!
