IPL 2020 begins without the glitzy opening ceremony and usual fanfare

The cricketing aspect of things will be under greater scrutiny this time round

Opening games are all about optimism. In the air is the freshness of a new season, with lingering hope that things will be better than last time. Favourites are named, individuals talked up and potential strategies discussed. It’s generally a buoyant time for fans, many of whom tend to luxuriate in their own confidence before reality finally hits. 

In any other year, that’s what the mood would have been like ahead of a new Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Some of that enthusiasm is still undimmed, but there is also confusion, anxiety and fear over how a cricket tournament of