IPL 2019: 4 key talking points ahead of the 12th edition

Summer is slowly but surely setting in India and that means Indian Premier League is around the corner. One of the world’s biggest sporting extravaganza is starting a wee bit early this season because of the upcoming World Cup.

There were discussions that this year’s IPL might be moved out of the country, but for the first time, the event will take place entirely in India during a general election year.

As always, all the eight teams look strong on paper as the best players from across the globe are participating in the richest cricketing league on the globe.

As always, there are going to be a lot of issues to discuss in the tournament. Here is a look at key talking points from the tournament

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#4 Rishab Pant or Dinesh Karthik

Australia v India - T20

Although India’s skipper Virat Kohli had said that IPL performances would not be taken into account while picking the World Cup squad, the race for back up wicket keeper’s slot for MS Dhoni is still open. The selectors do not really have a choice but to pick either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik on IPL performances.

Neither of them has sealed that spot yet and left the selectors in a conundrum. Pant wasted golden opportunity to make the spot is own during the home recently concluded home series vs Australia.

Karthik has been in tremendous form with the bat during tense chases in recent times but his exploits have come in T20 format and not in ODIs. To be fair, the Tamil Nadu player hasn't had enough opportunities in the 50-overs to book his place.

Even though the race is for a second wicketkeeper, either of them could play as a pure batsman considering the fact that India’s middle order isn't settled yet. In that case, Karthik will have a clear advantage because of his better fielding in the outfield.

However, both players would be keen to deliver during the first phase of IPL in order to earn the ticket to England for the 2019 World Cup.

#3 Virat Kohli’s captaincy

Can Kohli finally lift the IPL trophy?

There is no doubt about the quality of Virat Kohli as a batsman but when it comes to leading a side, he is yet to become a master tactician like his predecessor.

Although India have a great record in all formats in the past 18 months, there are still areas where Kohli has struggled to deliver as a captain on the field and faced a lot of criticism.

There were glaring mistakes in the team selections in both England and South Africa for the Tests which proved to be costly in the end. Yes, he did improve on that aspect in Australia and as the men in blue won the series. However, when it comes to pressure situations in white ball cricket, he looks out of ideas especially without MS Dhoni on the field.

Virat Kohli hasn’t had much success while leading Royal Challengers Banglore in the IPL despite having so many great players in the team's arsenal. While the franchise has finished runners-up thrice, they are yet to lift the trophy. It would be fascinating to watch Kohli leading his side as his side begin their campaign against CSK in the first game on March 23rd.

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#2 Last hurrah for Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh

Two of India's best ever

Once considered match winners, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh are in the last hurrah of their career and do not have a lot of cricket left in them

Left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh, who played a stellar role in India’s successful 2011 World Cup campaign will be playing for Mumbai Indians. The three-time Champions are the sixth team he is going to represent in his IPL career. It will not be a surprise if this is the last time we see Yuvraj in action at the highest level.

Harbhajan Singh, who was also a key member of the Indian side for a long time might also be playing his last season in the IPL. With so many spin options at the disposal of the men in yellow, it is tough to see the veteran off-spinner keep his place in the XI throughout the season.

Fans will hope, both of them can sign off in style with match-winning performances for their respective franchises.

#1 Return of Steve Smith and David Warner

Warner and Smith return

One of the biggest talking points of 2018 was the ball-tampering saga in Capetown. The Australian public and the whole cricketing fraternity were in complete shock after Steve Smith confessed to tampering in a Test match against South Africa.

Cricket Australia decided to ban Cameron Bancroft for nine months and an even stricter punishment of one year was imposed on David Warner and Steve Smith. Although they played in other leagues, IPL governing council did not let both Warner and Smith feature in the 2018 edition. Warner, in particular, is an IPL legend and his leadership abilities inspired Sunrisers Hyderabad to the title win in 2016. Even Smith is a vital part of Rajasthan Royal's cog

Both Warner and Smith are now back in the fold with Hyderabad and Rajasthan respectively. It will be interesting to see how Indian fans react to them as they play cricket for the first time in this part of the world since the infamous incident.

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