The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket will get underway in Bengaluru this evening. In the opening match, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time. The two-month-long tournament will continue till 31st of May.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will begin their title defence at home under new captain Rajat Patidar. Sunrisers Hyderabad will be led by stand-in captain Ishan Kishan, who takes charge after Australian pacer Pat Cummins was ruled out due to injury. The Impact Player rule, continuing this season, is expected to play a key role in team strategies.
Meanwhile, in a departure from the league’s usual high-octane pageantry, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has cancelled the traditional opening ceremony. The decision serves as a mark of respect for the 11 fans who lost their lives in a stampede outside the stadium during celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title win in June last year. Officials have also announced that 11 seats at the stadium will remain permanently vacant this season in memory.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma(w), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Harsh Dubey, Eshan Malinga, Shivam Mavi, Smaran Ravichandran, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, David Payne, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Krains Fuletra, Amit Kumar
