IPL 2022: What's different and how it could shape Indian cricket ahead

As 15th edition begins today with a bigger league, expect leadership stakes for India

Indian cricket is at a crossroads. The Virat Kohli captaincy era is over, and the team needs a seasoned leader to steer the ship. Rohit Sharma fills those boots ably, for now. But he’ll be 35 in just over a month. So, what next?

Enter the 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), beginning Saturday. If ever the T20 showpiece event was a clash of captains and captaincy material, this is it.

There is the classy K L Rahul, in charge of the debutant franchise Lucknow Super Giants. Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) Shreyas Iyer, like Rahul, is a cool head that could cope with the commotion that Indian captaincy brings with it.

Delhi Capitals’ (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant showed temperament to tame Australia down under last year.

ALSO READ: IPL 2022 Delhi Capitals: Squad, full schedule and playing 11 prediction

And then there is Jasprit Bumrah, Sharma’s spearhead at Mumbai Indians who has already demonstrated his leadership qualities and was rewarded as India’s one-day international vice-captain in South Africa earlier this year.

Australia has experimented successfully with a pacer, Pat Cummins, as skipper in Tests, so why can’t India do the same? After all, Bumrah has arguably been the most consistent Indian cricketer in the last three years.

But there is always room for surprises. Mahendra Singh Dhoni passed on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captaincy torch to the seasoned Ravindra Jadeja on Thursday, two days before the first IPL 2022 match between last year’s finalists, CSK and KKR.

Dhoni’s played his hand, which is never without meaning. Does he sense a shot at the big job for India’s new “Mr Dependable”, even if, at 33, age may not be on his side?

In the bigger scheme of things, this subplot makes this edition of IPL unlike any other — a stage to stake claims that can surpass the cities the captains represent to lead a nation.

But, of course, there is more to IPL 2022.

It’s a 10-team affair with 74 matches — 70 in the league ph­ase and four in the playoffs, but each team still plays 14 games (see box). In previous editions, too, which featured eight teams (with the exceptions of 2011, 2012 and 2013), each team played 14 games — twice against every side — totalling 60 games (56 league and four playoffs). After the league stage, the top four teams made it to the playoffs.

For the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the challenge is to host a full tournament in India. In 2021, the devastating second wave of Covid-19 forced the organisers to shift the event to the United Arab Emirates after 28 games in India. This followed a full itinerary in the Arabian nation in 2020. The Indian board is not taking any chances this time. Four venues in Maharasthra — the Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, and the Maharasthra Cricket As­s­­ociation Stadium in Pune — will play host with the final scheduled for May 29.

A three-day quarantine and a negative Covid-19 test on the fourth day are compulsions for a team before entering the bio-bubble for the tourney where 25 per cent crowd attendance will be allowed. In case a player tests positive for Covid-19 during the IPL, he would be isolated for seven days and allowed back into the side after testing negative twice — on days six and seven.

On the field, there’s the pe­rennial promise of mouth-watering contests and tight finishes. In the first match itself, there is the prospect of swashbuckling CSK openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa, taking on a cerebral Varun Chakravarthy.

All eyes will also be on Kohli’s frame of mind after relinquishing the captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In Faf du Plessis, have RCB finally found the man who can take them to the podium?

Also, it’s tempting to see if Sanju Samson comes of age for Rajasthan Royals, who’ve quee­red the pitch after the auctions by retaining Jos Buttler and buying in Ravichandran Ashwin— three years after the duo found themselves in a Mankading confrontation as opponents.

Then there is DC. In the earlier avatar as Delhi Daredevils, it remained a laggard finishing last in the group stage (2011, 2013, 2014 and 2018), and finished first, second and third in the last three years but are still to win.

With newbies Gujarat Lions, led by Hardik Pandya, and Lucknow Super Giants, can we expect a new brand of cricket? Will Mumbai continue to dominate and add to its record five titles? And by how many runs will we divide Ishan Kishan’s Rs 15.25-crore auction price to get the cost of each run he scores?

Finally, can Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad rise above being mere contenders? The former’s charge led by Mayank Aga­rwal (captain),  gives much confidence to their fans, while the latter — with Kane Williamson at the helm  — could add to their two tiles in 2016 and 2009 (as Deccan Chargers).

IPL has so far seen five champions. Could 2022 be the year of a first-time winner?