NICK HOWSON: Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans join the fray, the schedule swells to 74 matches and Delhi Capitals start short of star names all ahead of the first tournament since the passing of Shane Warne
The Indian Premier League returns to 10 teams in 2022 after two new franchises were permitted to join the fun from this season.
Gujarat Titans, based out of Ahmedabad, will be led by captain Hardik Pandya and head coach Ashish Nehra and have high hopes of making a decent impression on their tournament debut
Alongside Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill were signed up before the auction.
Adding the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Matthew Wade, David Miller and Mohammed Shami all but guarantees fireworks with bat and ball and ensures they'll make some kind of positive impact before the 15th edition of the tournament is over.
They were bought by CVC Capital Partners, who previously owned a stake in Formula One, for 5.652 crore (£561 million).
Lucknow Super Giants fill the final berth after being purchased for 7.090 crore (£696 million) - making them reportedly making them the most expensive IPL franchise in history.
Owners RPSG Group, led by Sanjiv Goenka, led Rising Pune SuperGiant - one of two replacements for the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals - in 2016 and 2017.
The Super Giants made the mammoth signing of KL Rahul as their captain during the off-season, with Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi also picked up. In Andy Flower, they have an experienced coach of real class.
Quinton de Kock, a two-time winner with Mumbai Indians, was the most notable signing during the auction though they are lacking in quick-bowling options.
Hardik Pandya will captain Gujarat Titans (Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Rarely since England's white-ball reset in 2015 has there been the prospect of such scant representation at the premier franchise competition from these shores.
At the time of writing, nine players have contracts for the 10-team showcase this year.
Of the 13 to have deals at the end of the auction, Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Mark Wood have withdrawn while Jofra Archer will not feature this season due to his long-standing elbow issue.
Just two players, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali were retained ahead of the mega auction where another seven won deals for the new campaign.
Among those to miss out was white-ball captain Eoin Morgan and batter Dawid Malan, while Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Test skipper Joe Root opted against entering.
Of those to claim deals, no name is more eyecatching than Benny Howell who after spells with Melbourne Renegades, Peshawar Zalmi, Rangpur Riders, Khulna Titans and Chattogram Challengers will get an opportunity in the highest-profile league of them all with Punjab Kings.
Also at Kings will be Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone, who will be eager to set the record straight after failing to repeat his best for Rajasthan Royals.
Mumbai Indians have a mouthwatering bowling attack of the future, with Archer and Tymal Mills joining Jasprit Bumrah - though it won't be until 2023 that we see this trio potentially causing havoc together.
Outings might be rarer for David Willey at Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sam Billings, who despite being arguably the best 'keeper at Kolkata Knight Riders might be forced into a reserve role due to the wealth of overseas options.
Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler are first-choice at CSK and Royals, but it might be a case of a blink of you'll miss much of the remainder of the English contingent.
There will be no Eoin Morgan at the 2022 IPL (DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/Getty Images)
Cricket's only answer to the intense schedule strikes again. Despite demands on players never being greater, 2022 grows to 74 matches - back to the format last used in 2011.
Teams have essentially been placed into two groups, playing each side in their own section twice 'home' and 'away', every side in the other pool just once.
However, they will be ranked in one table to determine the line-up for the knock-out stage.
Initially at least, defending champions CSK seem to have lucked out, having avoided two matches with MI, KKR and Delhi Capitals.
The format avoids having an 18-game regular season and is more workable given travel is being limited by the use of four venues across Mumbai and Pune. But it isn't all good news.
The 14 additional matches have been squeezed into a dozen days (74 in 65), with just three rest days. The last uninterrupted tournament in 2020 saw 60 games in 53.
Twelve double-headers, exclusively on Saturday and Sundays, will help accommodate the increase.
It is worth considering the impact of the latest escalation. Taking up a fifth of the year, the IPL can no longer be argued to be a window or a block in the calendar. It is an uncompromising staple of the cricketing year.
So where is the glass ceiling? International cricket isn't just being impinging outside of the IPL - with players having to make decisions over schedules - but during it. South Africa's Test players will skip the Bangladesh series to compete, and Australia, England and West Indies stars will arrive late, for example.
Former England coach David Lloyd doesn't see an end to the growth of the IPL schedule.
"India will want a longer window and, who knows, maybe the owners will eventually want a second station carved out of the schedule," he told The Daily Mail.
"Cricketers will follow the money if the market is left unchecked, and the least profitable aspects of the game will suffer — notably Test cricket among countries with small television markets."
And how will the swelling of the match calendar affect how we view the IPL? Franchise competitions are best when they are snappy, entertaining and nearly every game means something. Much like the Big Bash League, large swathes of the IPL threaten to be irrelevant and inconsequential.
There is a reason why the Pakistan Super League and Caribbean Premier League, though not able to enlist a stellar cast to rival the IPL, generally produce better cricket competitions. And ultimately, they're more likeable because they haven't prioritised profits over quality.
MS Dhoni's defending champions are on a favourable side of the draw (Contributor/Getty Images)
The withdrawal of two England players on the eve of the tournament citing the rigours of global cricket in the Covid era is a reminder of the demands on players over the last two years.
And just because players like Alex Hales and Jason Roy have taken the decision before the tournament, doesn't mean others won't follow once the action has unfolded. In fact, it is inevitable.
Tournament matches being limited to two cities is a key aspect of the 2022 edition, as the BCCI attempt to avoid unnecessary travel. A third consecutive delay or postponement would be an embarrassment for the heavyweight governing body in the game.
Players arriving has been asked to take a PCR test before departure and have been quarantined for between three and five days - depending on their testing schedule - before being permitted to join their respective bubbles.
A range of punishments and fines have been introduced as a deterrent, and can even be imposed on family members. A first breach will see a player have to quarantine for seven days, while further indiscretions will include suspensions and an outright ban.
If teams have less than 12 players available (seven of which must be Indian) then a match may be rescheduled later in the competition - a revision of the rules which last season would have seen the unaffected team awarded two points and a victory.
After fans were blocked from attending in 2020 and the tournament in the UAE saw sparse attendances, this year will see a return to something that approaches normality.
It remains to be seen for how long that will remain the case. Currently, grounds are planning to be at between 25 and 50 per cent capacity, with fully vaccinated fans only permitted to attend.
However, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope is monitoring an increase in cases overseas. As ever with Covid-19, things can change very quickly.
Nevertheless, the tournament is set to start with fans in situ for the first time for an IPL in India since 2019. Let's enjoy it while we can.
Shreyas Iyer takes over at Kolkata Knight Riders (Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
After bids from five franchises, the 25-year-old landed at Lucknow Super Giants for 10 crore (£992,635) - making him the most expensive uncapped player in auction history.
Just a few days after being picked up by the Super Giants, the 25-year-finally made his India bow - he'd been on standby for the England tour last year - against West Indies and following that by facing Sri Lanka.
No player received more offers than the 62 submitted for his services during the mid-February fire-sale, as he went from a base price of 20 lakh.
To put his interest in some kind of context, only three overseas players (Livingstone, Nicholas Pooran and Wanindu Hasaranga) went for more.
Not retained by Delhi Capitals after taking 24 wickets in 16 matches last season, having played one in each of the last two campaigns, it wasn't exactly a surprise to see a bidding war.
But now is the time for Khan to back up his billing. A quick powerplay pace option, he has shown an ability to move the ball laterally at times which makes him a real prized asset.
And Khan continues to work on his prowess at the death, perfecting his yorker and cramping batters for room. DC captain Rishabh Pant threw him the ball for the 20th over seven times last season and it will be interesting to see how KL Rahul uses him this term.
Alex Hales will miss the tournament with bubble fatigue (Asif Ali/Getty Images)
The India batter leads a new era at Kolkata Knight Riders, following the departures of both Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan.
Still, under the stewardship of Brendon McCullum, there are plenty of questions around how KKR will set up this season and what exactly Iyer's role will be.
Granted, this term represents a clean slate, but it shouldn't be forgotten how they limped into the final after at one stage losing five out of six.
Alongside McCullum, there is a solid leadership base to feed off. Australia's captaincy axis Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch are on board, as is the hugely experienced Ajinkya Rahane.
It isn't that Iyer has no leadership experience - he became the youngest skipper in the franchise competition at Delhi Daredevils aged 23 in 2018 and kept the role - but this overhaul comes with additional pressures.
Striking the right balance in the playing XI will be key, given the heavyweight overseas players available and the lack of an obvious option behind the stumps. Sheldon Jackson is probably the most likely to take the gloves initially.
And then there is his own role in the batting order, which was generally at No.3 for the Capitals. It feels as though it may be more flexible this year, with namesake Venkatesh Iyer up the order.
"You can't basically portray yourself as an anchor. It can differ as well," he said. "On a given day, I can be a power-hitter and there can be some other player who can play an anchor role.
"The situations and roles can change based on conditions, and you can't basically rely on a certain player to anchor the innings. If it's your day, you need to go all out and see to it that you win the match for the team.
"Basically, the responsibility has to be taken by all players in the team - to go out there and win the match and not rely on other players.
"For me, personally, I feel No.3 is my position because I love to bat there and I've been batting at that position since very long. I've been very flexible; wherever the team wants me to bat at, I'm very comfortable at that and I'm ready to explore."
(All eyes will be on Avesh Khan (right) Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
The IPL soft-launch, due to lack of player availability, arguably hits Delhi Capitals hardest.
Australia World Cup-winning duo David Warner will miss the first two matches and Mitch Marsh three. Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman are meanwhile absent for the opening game at least.
And then there is the mystery around Anrich Nortje's fitness, leaving capitals with two overseas players for the opener against MI.
The South Africa quick has not bowled a ball in anger since the T20 World Cup due to a hip problem.
But with a lack of updates regarding his fitness, it remains to be seen just how much the Capitals have the seamer available.
It would be a major blow to Ricky Ponting's side if Nortje misses large swathes of the competition. He has 34 wickets in 24 matches and would likely force DC into a late change, with alternative extreme pace options limited.
There would be understandable frustration given that Capitals retained the 28-year-old before the auction for 6.50 crore, losing an overseas spot for the auction.
They might all ultimately end up being short-term issues and quickly resolved but it is far from the ideal way to kick off the tournament.
England's openness to split their coaching role when considering Chris Silverwood's replacement has led to speculation Ponting could be among the white-ball targets.
However, it is understood the Aussie would be permitted to continue working in the IPL, scheduling made easier by England not playing white-ball cricket during the competition.
Delhi Capitals start without some of their big-hitters (INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/Getty Images)
It's barely believable that we're nearly weeks removed from the passing of Shane Warne.
There were few corners of the game he didn't influence in one way or another, and though the IPL began in the autumn of his career there was still time for him to leave his mark on the franchise competition.
He played a role in the tournament getting off to a red-hot start, signing up as one of the stand-out overseas players for the inaugural edition.
Rajasthan Royals picked him the then-38-year-old and installed him as captain.
Only Sohail Tanvir and Sreesanth took more than his 18 wickets, as Royals went all the way to the final where they beat CSK.
A World Cup and a multi-Ashes winner with Australia and the first Test bowler to 700 wickets, yet Warne holds his IPL title up with the most important of his illustrious career.
"I don't think there have been too many better teams that I've played in during my career," he said after the three-wicket win.
Appearances in three more editions followed and he remained a big supporter of the showcase even after swapping the middle for the commentary box.
This will be the first chance the franchises will have to pay tribute to Warne in person. His state memorial service at the MCG falls on day five of the tournament, on March 30.
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