Come Friday, and the spotlight will once again be on the greatest cricket extravaganza, IPL. The bio-bubble and COVID restrictions will dampen the mood a bit, but the thrill IPL offers is unbeatable, even during the pandemic (“Axar tests positive for COVID-19; Mumbai confident of hosting IPL matches at Wankhede Stadium”, April 3, Gulf Today).

Last year we saw the tournament being hosted here in the UAE under even more trying times, due to the surging Coronavirus. But it kept cricket buffs and IPL die-hards glued to their seats until the final match. This year though it has returned to the Indian shores and the vaccine rollout seems to have brought in some relief, though at the moment India seems to be going through some sort of a second wave.  Hope the situation comes under control soon enough. IPL as usual is a brand extraordinaire and a fertile avenue for aspiring and well as first class cricketers. Team India players have had a fantastic run against the touring England side, having sealed all three — Test, T20I and ODI — trophies. What stood out during the tour was the bench strength of the Indian side. Players on debut performed beyond expectations, something the visiting side found hard to beat. While BCCI should be credited for giving the “A” team players a spot in the first team, it is the IPL which is strongly responsible for bring such latent talent to the fore.

Fingers crossed, this edition of the IPL will be as pulsating as the earlier ones.

Andre D’Souza

By email