New format, rules, captains: Why IPL 2022 is bigger, better and more exciting | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: With bigger pool of talented cricketers, new-look teams, addition of two new franchises, some new rules, increased number of matches and a different format, the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) starting Saturday has become the most evolved cash-rich league, which promises to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before.
The two new franchises will add a new flavour to the IPL, which can completely change the dynamics of the league. The RPSG Group has picked Lucknow as their home base with a winning bid of a whopping Rs 7,090 crore, while Irelia Company Pte Ltd (CVC Capital Partners) opted for Ahmedabad with a bid of Rs 5,625 crore.
With the addition of the two teams — Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans — the organisers decided to conduct a mega auction in order to give equal opportunity to every team to pick players of their choice and build a strong side.
And the franchises did exactly that on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru by adding some talented overseas as well as domestic cricketers to their sides. Though there are some noticeable weaknesses in the teams, overall, they have tried to build solid squads.
Adding to the excitement, as many as six franchises — RCB, CSK, KKR, LSG, GT and PBKS — will have new captains, who have either left their past franchises, or are donning the skipper’s hat for the first time.

Only MI, SRH, DC and RR will have captains, who led their respective sides in the previous edition of IPL.
The organisers have also introduced some new rules and formats to make the lPL different from other leagues. Overall, things are looking sorted and an exciting season of T20 cricket awaits the fans.
Let’s take a look into the things which will make IPL 2022 bigger and better than ever before.
New Format As against 60 games and eight teams hitherto, the league, in its 15th edition, will have 10 teams and 74 games in all spread across 65 days with a new, tweaked format. The matches per side in the league stage will remain 14, but the 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five each.
The 2022 IPL will give its 10 teams seedings and place them in two ‘virtual’ groups during the league phase of the tournament. The seedings are based on the number of times a team has won the IPL or made the finals.

Group A will be led by five-time champions Mumbai Indians, who are the top seeds, while four-time winners Chennai Super Kings will lead Group B with the No. 2 seeding.
The other teams in Group A, in that order, are Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants. Group B features Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, in that order.
Group A: Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants
Group B: Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans
The new format will change things drastically for the franchises, forcing them to adopt new game plans and ideas against their opponents.

New Rules The IPL 2022 will also see some major rule changes with regard to DRS, Covid-19 allowances for teams, Super Over and the newly-introduced MCC laws.
Covid-19: Covid-19 might be perceived as a lesser threat around India at the moment than it was even a few months ago, but there will be alteration to the rule about the inability to field a playing XI because of any kind of virus situation in a team during the IPL.
The BCCI has said the matter will be referred to the technical committee if rescheduling the game is not possible.
“Unable to field a team on account of Covid for any match due to having less than 12 players available in the playing XI (of which at least seven must be Indian) plus one substitute fielder. The BCCI, at its discretion, will attempt to reschedule the match for later in the season. If this is not possible, the issue will be referred to the IPL Technical Committee. The decision of the Technical Committee will be final and binding,” said a BCCI communique.

This is a change from the previous rule which said that the board “will attempt to reschedule the match for later in the season. If this is not possible, the franchise will be deemed to have lost the match with its opponent being awarded 2 points.”
DRS: Another addition to the playing conditions is the increase in the number of referrals (DRS) from one to two.
MCC Suggestion: The board also endorsed the recent Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) suggestion that the new batsman will have to take the strike even if the batsmen in the middle crossover during a catch. Notably, the law comes into effect for international cricket only later this year, in October. However, IPL has decided to enforce it straightaway.
“Upon a catch dismissal, irrespective of whether the batsmen have crossed over, the incoming batsman will take the strike, except if it’s the last ball of the over,” the BCCI informed the teams.

Super Over: The BCCI has decided that if the Super Over cannot be staged for some reason after regular play time or the subsequent Super Overs cannot be staged to break the tie, then the team that finished higher in the league table will declared winner.
New Captains
RCB: The Bengaluru-based franchise has appointed South Africa’s Faf du Plessis as the new skipper. Faf succeeded Virat Kohli in the role.

CSK: Just ahead of the start of the IPL 2022, Dhoni (40) on Thursday decided to hand over the captaincy of CSK to Ravindra Jadeja. The star all-rounder, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead the Chennai-based franchise after Dhoni and Suresh Raina.

Dhoni, under whom the CSK have registered a record 121 wins in 204 matches, will continue to represent the franchise.
KKR: Shreays Iyer, who represented Delhi Capitals till last year, has been appointed as the skipper of the Kolkkata-based franchise. Iyer, who was acquired by KKR for Rs 12.25 crore in the mega auctions, will replace Eoin Morgan in the role.

LSG: The Luckow franchise, which will make its debut in the IPL this season, has appointed India opener K.L. Rahul as the skipper. Rahul had represented Punjab Kings till last season, but didn’t want to stay there and as a result they let him go, paving the way for LSG to pick him via the draft.

GT: Another new franchise, Gujarat has appointed star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the captain. Hardik, represented Mumbai Indians till last season and was an integral part of their set-up. He will lead an IPL team for the first time this season.

PBKS: Punjab have got a new captain in Mayank Agarwal, who was retained by the franchise before the mega auctions. It will also be Mayank’s first stint as an IPL captain.
Rise of New Stars: ‘Talent Meets Opportunity’ is the tagline of IPL and the cash-rich league has justified it over the years by unveiling some amazing young prospects.
Every IPL season throws up new trends, many of whom go on to play for India. The likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Yashwavi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Kartik Tyagi, Umran Malik and others have shown their skills in the last couple of IPL seasons.
This year as well, the likes of Yash Dhull (DC), Dewald Brevis (MI), Rajvardhan Hangargekar (CSK), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (GT), Raj Bawa (PBKS) are set to make their IPL debuts and are expected to enthrall everyone with their performances.

KEY PLAYERS WHO WON’T BE SEEN IN EARLY MATCHES
The 15th season of IPL starts on Saturday with a blockbuster clash between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede stadium here. However, the two teams will miss few of their key players during the IPL 2022 opener.
In fact, not only the CSK and KKR, most of the IPL franchises will miss the services of their key players for various different reasons. After an exciting mega auction in February, most of the teams had assembled a strong first XI, but they may not always have their best 11 players available all through the season.
With the international calendar jam-packed, with some players recovering from injury and also due to some logistical issues, almost every team will miss some of their recruits in the early part of the IPL season. Here’s a look at the player availability for each team.
Mumbai Indians Stylish batter Suryakumar Yadav is set to miss Mumbai’s opening match against Delhi Capitals on March 27. He picked up a hairline thumb fracture in the final T20I against West Indies and is yet to be released by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he has been undergoing rehab.
Chennai Super Kings pacer Deepak Chahar is set to miss a large part of IPL 2022 due to a quadriceps injury.
The franchise will also be without all rounder Moeen Ali for their first match on March 26, against Kolkata Knight Riders. Due to his visa issues, Moeen landed late in Mumbai on the morning of March 24, and will need to undergo a mandatory three-day quarantine before joining the squad.
On the other hand, CSK will also miss the services of South Africa’s Dwaine Pretorius in their opening game as he finished playing the ODI series against Bangladesh at home only on March 23.
Kolkata Knight Riders England opener Alex Hales was picked by the KKR during the IPL auction but he pulled off from the IPL 2022 citing bubble fatigue. Thereafter, KKR named Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch as Hales’ replacement. However, with Australia’s white-ball series against Pakistan to conclude on April 5, Finch will not be available for the first handful of games.
On the other hand, Pat Cummins is understood to fly back to Australia after the Pakistan Test series to attend Shane Warne’s memorial on March 30. He will join the side after serving the mandatory three-day quarantine and should be available for their fourth match, on April 6.
Meanwhile, Kiwi pacer Tim Southee, who got married earlier this week and joined the IPL bubble late, will miss Saturday’s game. Later, he may also have to miss the playoffs and the final, should Knight Riders make it that far, with New Zealand set to begin a three-match Test series in England on June 2.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Apart from Australia pacer Sean Abbott, who will miss the first three games due to his national commitments, the rest of the players are available.
Rajasthan Royals The ODI series between Bangladesh and South Africa ended on March 23. So, Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen, who was part of South Africa’s ODI series against Bangladesh, should be available for Royals’ first game on March 29.
Royal Challengers Bangalore The newly married Glenn Maxwell will miss at least the first two games, while Josh Hazlewood and Jason Behrendorff are set to miss the first three matches for RCB as the Australian players will only be released after April 6, according to an ESPNcricinfo report.
Delhi Capitals David Warner will be unavailable for Capitals’ first two games and Mitchell Marsh for the first three. On the other hand, Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman were part of the South Africa-Bangladesh ODI series and they could also miss the first match since Delhi will play their first match on March 27.
However, the bigger concern for Capitals is Anrich Nortje’s fitness. He has been dealing with hip and back issues, and while he joined Capitals’ squad on Sunday, it is understood he is likely to sit out the first few matches.
Punjab Kings Kagiso Rabada is likely to miss Kings’ opening match as he was part of South Africa’s ODI series against Bangladesh.
On the other hand, batter Jonny Bairstow is in the West Indies with England’s Test side and is likely to miss the first two games. With England set to play New Zealand in early June, Bairstow could also be unavailable for the final if Kings make it that far.
Lucknow Super Giants Pacer Mark Wood was ruled out of the 2022 season after picking up a right elbow injury on England’s tour of the West Indies and Australian Andrew Tye has replaced him in the squad.
Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers are expected to be available only after the first week of the IPL as they are part of West Indies’ Test squad against England. They will miss Super Giants’ first two matches. Marcus Stoinis, who is part of Australia’s white-ball squads for the Pakistan tour, will miss the third match as well.
Gujarat Titans Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has replaced England batter Jason Roy, who withdrew due to bubble fatigue. West Indies quick Alzarri Joseph, who is playing the third Test against England, will miss the first game against Super Giants.
CSK SHARE ‘DADDY’S ARMY’ TAG WITH KKR
It is said that aging cricketers are not worthy enough for the team as the shorter format of the game demands more agility and athleticism on the field.

But the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), labelled as ‘Daddy’s Army’, have proved the critics wrong, reaching as many as nine nine finals, winning four of them.
Many players in CSK are above 35, but they can win any match on their own strengths. However, in the 2022 IPL starting Saturday, CSK share the ‘Daddy’s Army’ tag with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), as the two-time champions this time have players like Mohammad Nabi, Sheldon Jackson and Sunil Narine, who are all close to 35 or above.
Veteran South African spinner Imran Tahir, 43, who was part of the CSK squad that won the IPL in 2021, was the oldest player, while Afghanistan’s 17-year-old Noor Mohammad was the youngest in the IPL auctions.
The oldest Indian players in the auction were Amit Mishra (39) and S. Sreesanth (39), and both remained unsold.
Let’s take a look at the average age of the teams: Chennai Super Kings: Average age 28 Three-time champions Chennai Super Kings were labelled and mocked as ‘Daddy’s Army’, as it was the only squad with an average age of over 30 in IPL 2021. But this time the franchise picked a relatively younger squad as their average age is 28, comparatively lower than the previous edition.
However, at 40, Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains the oldest player in the squad, which also features 19-year-old rookie batter Rajvardhan Hangargekar.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Average age 28 With 10 players aged 30 or more, including Sam Billings, Sheldon Jackson, Mohammad Nabi, Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine, KKR have snatched the ‘Daddy’s Army’ tag from CSK this time. However, they have also included some young players like Ashok Sharma, who is only 19, along with Rasikh Salam (20) and Anukul Roy (23).
Delhi Capitals: Average age 26 After the inclusion of talented youngsters like Yash Dhull (19), Vicky Ostwal (19) and destructive batter Prithvi Shaw (22) in their ranks, the Delhi Capitals team is quite young on paper in IPL 2022. The team led by the young and dynamic Rishabh Pant (24) also has David Warner (35) as the eldest member of the squad.
Gujarat Titans: Average age 23 The new entrant in the Indian premier League is the youngest team as their average age is just 23. The team features the youngest player in IPL 2022, Afghanistan’s 17-year-old Noor Mohammad, while veteran India wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha (37) is the senior most member of the squad.
Lucknow Super Giants: Average age 27 With some young players like Avesh Khan (25), Ravi Bishnoi (21) and Karan Sharma (25) in their ranks, Lucknow Super Giants have a young squad in their inaugural IPL season. The squad also has some experienced players in Mark Wood (32, out of the squad due to injury), Jason Holder (30) and skipper K.L. Rahul (29).
Mumbai Indians: Average age 25 While the franchise has few of India’s most experienced international stars in the squad, they also boast of talented youngsters like Ishan Kishan (23), Arjun Tendulkar (22) and Tilak Verma (19), who is the youngest player in the squad. Rohit Sharma (34) and Kieron Pollard (34) are the senior pros in the Mumbai squad.

Punjab Kings: Average age 26 Punjab Kings have a relatively young squad this time. In previous editions, they had veterans like Chris Gayles, who is above 41, but this time most of the members are 25 or younger. India batter Shikhar Dhawan (36) is the oldest member of the squad, while 19-year-old Raj Bawa is the youngest.
Rajasthan Royals: Average age 27 Despite a number of players, including Ravichandran Ashwin (35), Trent Boult (32) and Jos Buttler (31), being on the other side of 30, the team has an average age of 27 this season. The franchise has roped in some young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal (20), Dhruv Jurel (21) and Shimron Hetmyer (25).
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Average age 25 Royal Challengers Bangalore have 12 players in the 25 to 29 age bracket, and 10 players in the 30 and above category. Their youngest player, Aneeshwar Gautam, is 19. Faf du Plessis, at 37, is the oldest, followed by Dinesh Karthik (36).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Average age 25 While few of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 23-member squad are 30 or above, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar (32), Rahul Tripathi (31) and Kane Williamson (31), They have some young talents in Priyam Garg (21), Fazalhaq Farooqi (21), Marco Jansen (21) and Kartik Tyagi (21).