The "world cup 2011 hangover" has not been completely off my mind, and to provoke my cricket fever further, Indian Premier League (IPL) is soon getting started. 2011 is turning to be a great cricketing year, and I am enjoying an every bit of it. I bet the excitement level for this Indian domestic tournament will not be lesser than the world cup, and the concern of "who will be the next IPL champion" is going to exist globally. After all, it is another stage, where cricket lovers can watch players from many nations together.
This year will also see two new teams in action: Kochi Tuskers Chennai, and Sahara Pune Warriors. The interesting thing about the T20 format is that there is no clear favourite. Any team can be dominating in a match, no matter how tough the opponent's playing 11 appears on paper. That is why we have three different winners in the earlier versions of year 2008, 2009 and 2010 in the form of Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings respectively. Mumbai Indians led by Sachin Tendulkar were so closed to win a title last year, being the best performer in the league stages, but were sidelined by Dhoni's Chennai at last.
IPL also provide us an opportunity to see the legends like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in action, who have retired from the international stage. Batsman like Rahul Dravid and Adam Gilchrist will keep on entertaining the crowd with their awesome strokeplays. Where can we see an Indian Dravid praising an Australian Shaun Tait for taking the wicket of another Australian Michael Hussey? It can happen only in IPL.
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