5 big cricket events for Indian fans to look forward to in 2016

This year has been a bitter-sweet year for the Indian team, with success and failure in equal measure.After a disappointing tri-series in Australia, India managed to reach the World Cup semi-finals. A shock series defeat to a young Bangladeshi team was followed by memorable Test series wins against Sri Lanka and South Africa.IPL 2015 and the Cricket All-Stars series were the other exciting tournaments of the year.The year 2016 offers a lot more, especially in the shortest format of the game. Here’s a look at five events that the Indian fans will be looking forward to.

#1 India\'s tour of Australia

Yuvraj’s comeback has made an already high-profile series even more interesting

With India’s series against Pakistan shelved, the Men in Blue’s next assignment is Down Under, with MS Dhoni leading the charge of both the ODI and T20 outfits. The squads have had surprising inclusions, highlighted by the recall of Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra to the T20 side.

Yuvraj will make a comeback to the side for the first time after 2014 World T20 final. Nehra last played for India in 2011. Suresh Raina has been omitted from the ODI team, and new faces such as Barinder Sran and Hardik Pandya have been given a chance.

The tour consists of three T20s and five ODIs. India, along with England, played a tri-series in Australia last year and remained winless. They had a better run at the World Cup in the same country, reaching the semi-finals on the back of six consecutive victories.

#2 Masters Champion League 2020

MCL will see even more legends take part

After the success of the Cricket All Stars tournament, which featured Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne in action along with a number of cricketers from yesteryears, cricket fans will be treated to another similar venture which is even bigger in scale.

The Masters Champion League, another tournament featuring the retired, which will be held exclusively in the UAE, will feature a host of cricket stars. Indian fans will be treated to the sight of Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and co. teaming up with fellow greats such as Adam Gilchrist, Brian Lara and Muttiah Muralitharan, to name a few.

The first match, to be held on January 28th, will see Sourav Ganguly’s Libra Legends taking on Sehwag’s Gemini Arabians at the Dubai International Stadium. The duo played for the same team, Sachin’s Blasters, in the Cricket All Stars.

#3 Asia Cup 2016

Can Sri Lanka retain their title?

Next year’s Asia Cup will be in T20 format, to mirror the ICC World T20, which will be held right after that. It will also include one Associate nation, along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The tournament will end five days before the World T20, and will be the first time the tournament is played in the T20 format. Bangladesh will be the hosts for the third consecutive time. The tournament has had some exciting clashes in the past.

India edged past Pakistan in the 2010 semi-final courtesy Harbhajan Singh’s six of the penultimate ball. Virat Kohli hit a career best 183 against the same opponents in the 2012 edition, which also turned out to be Sachin Tendulkar’s last ODI match. Indian fans will be hoping for a few more exciting clashes, and possibly a sixth Asia Cup title before the World T20.

#4 ICC World T20

Can Angelo lead Sri Lanka to another World title?

The World T20 returns to India next year, who were crowned champions in 2007, beating Pakistan by five runs in a thrilling final. A lot has changed ever since. It was the first captaincy assignment for MS Dhoni, who recently completed eleven years in International cricket, and will be leading the team in the tournament for the sixth consecutive time.

India reached the finals in the last edition in 2014,before losing to Sri Lanka by six wickets. Yuvraj Singh, who hasmade a comeback to the T20 squad, was severely criticized by fans for his painstaking 21-ball 11.

The team will be hoping to put those memories to rest, and aim to become the first team to win the tournament twice. The 2016 edition features the ten full members, along with six Associate members. Indias second match is a mouth-watering fixture against Pakistan, a team against which the Men in Blue maintain a 5-0 record in the tournament across all editions.

#5 IPL 2016

Dhoni will be appearing for another franchise in the IPL

The Indian Premier League, in competition with various new leagues of the same format, is still the most glamorous tournament in the cricket calendar, ever since its inception in 2008. India’s domestic players get the exposure of playing against the biggest name of the game, and the league has churned out future stars of its own.

The ninth edition will have some major changes, especially with the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, and there will be a major shift in the fan base to the new cities, Pune and Rajkot. Players such as MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane, who were integral parts of their respective teams, have been included into the new teams via a player draft.

The main auction, which will feature the rest of the stars, will be held on February 6. And the tournament is expected to be interested, with the addition of two new teams.