The Indian Premier League is arguably the biggest Cricket event in the world and is also one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. Cricket fans all around the world eagerly await the time of the year when the IPL takes place. As for the Indian fans, it is nothing short of a festival. The 13th edition of the IPL was nothing different from its previous editions, as it brought in similar energy, buzz, and excitement among the fans. However, in the year 2020, due to unfortunate circumstances caused as a result of the COVID 19 or Coronavirus pandemic, the IPL along with all other sporting events were suspended for an indefinite period of time.

REVIVAL OF THE IPL 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has been the greatest humanitarian crisis the world has ever seen. As a result of the pandemic, India has suffered drastically in all aspects. The economy of the country took a toll after a record downfall in GDP in the June quarter. As a result of the pandemic and the growing rate of infected cases in India, all major sporting events including the IPL were indefinitely suspended. The suspension of the IPL was not the only blow for the world’s premier cricket tournament as VIVO pulled out as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League, following backlash on social media due to clashes between Indian and Chinese defense troops in Ladakh. After a period of time, it seemed as if there was going to be no IPL for the year 2020, but the BCCI (The Board of Control for Cricket in India ) worked hard behind the scenes and implemented an idea to conduct the 13th edition of the IPL in the United Arab Emirates. After VIVO’s decision to back out as the title sponsors of IPL a bidding procedure was conducted in order to determine the title sponsors. After the elongated bidding process, the Indian fantasy sports platform DREAM 11 got the title sponsorship rights for the 13th edition of IPL. Thus under the influence of BCCI and the support from other major sponsors most importantly DREAM 11 the Indian Premier League 2020-21 was revived and finally, after waiting for months, the DREAM 11 IPL 2020 finally became a reality with the first match being played between defending champions Mumbai Indians and arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings on the 19th of September,2020 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

TEAM-WISE RECAP OF THE IPL(AFTER 5 MATCHDAYS)

1. DELHI CAPITALS:The Delhi Capitals represent India’s capital city. Out of the 8 teams present in the IPL, the Delhi Capitals are one of the three teams who are yet to win a single edition of the IPL. After having a good 2019-20 IPL season finishing in the third spot, the franchise from Delhi was looking to lift their maiden IPL trophy. The team was off to a wonderful start after beating the Kings XI Punjab in their first match via the super over, following a brilliant all-round display by Australian Marcus Stoinis. The team also went on to win against three-time champions Chennai Super Kings by 44 runs. However, after a solid start, they went on to lose their first game up against Sunrisers Hyderabad by 15 runs. That defeat did not break their momentum as they went on to post a massive 228 run total batting first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the very next match, winning the game by 18 runs. In their fifth match, the Capitals showed another dominating performance as they downed the Royal Challengers Bangalore and ended up winning by 59 runs. They are currently top of the table after 5 matches and a playoff spot looks likely for the Capitals after having the best start they have ever had to an IPL season.
2. MUMBAI INDIANS:
   Three-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians are known for their usual slow start to an IPL campaign but, in this season, they were off to a solid start. After losing the first game to arch-rivals, CSK, the Mumbai team made a solid comeback with a 50 run win against KKR. With the hunger and drive to win, they ended up drawing the game which everyone thought was out of hand against RCB only to lose in the super over. Mumbai went on to face Kings XI Punjab next and won convincingly by 48 runs following a batting master class from captain Rohit Sharma. Mumbai Indians are known for their firepower with the bat and they did not fail to show that once again against Sunrisers Hyderabad, posting a massive 208 runs on the board and putting up a solid bowling display to win the game by 34 runs. Mumbai sits second in the table and with the pedigree they have of making it to the finals, they are the team to watch out for.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders:After narrowly missing out on a playoff berth during the 19-20 season of the IPL, two-time champions came to the UAE with renewed hopes, ambitions, and intentions. The team from Kolkata was not off to an ideal start following a demoralizing defeat against Mumbai Indians however, they were quick to recover winning back to back in their next two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. Their effort was again on the show after putting a valiant effort against Delhi scoring 210 runs batting second only to lose by just 18 runs. KKR went on to face CSK in their next match and ended up winning the game convincingly by 10 runs. With 6 points in 5 matches, KKR is off to a steady start and is building up a strong momentum as they look to qualify for yet another playoff.
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore:Royal Challengers Bangalore are the dark horses of IPL 2020. The team from Bangalore is yet to win an IPL trophy and much of it is down to their poor bowling display throughout the years. RCB has made a few additions to their bowling department in the form of Sri Lankan pacer Isuru Udana and veteran South African Dale Steyn. However, that is not enough to put them in a comfortable position as they are prone to conceding a lot. Despite all the negatives in their bowling, their batting has been impeccable apart from the one match against KXIP. The addition of Aaron Finch and youngster Devdutt Padikall to the already strong lineup has helped them post a massive total against a strong Mumbai bowling lineup. With 3 wins and 2 defeats in their first 5 matches, RCB looks like a formidable opposition, and with improvements to their bowling lineup, they can be the team to beat this season.
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad:Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of the more complete teams, possessing a very strong batting lineup as well as a very strong bowling lineup as well. After a very poor start to their campaign despite possessing a strong lineup, SRH recovered their form with two wins against Delhi Capitals and CSK in their next 2 games. However, their problems in the middle order were again exposed by the Mumbai Indians bowling lineup resulting in another disappointing loss. Three losses in the first five games is a worrying sign for the technical staff of the SRH camp. There are still 9 matches remaining for SRH to find their form and qualify for yet another playoffs.
6. Chennai Super Kings:Three-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings were off to a flying start against Mumbai Indians winning the game by 5 wickets. However, since the first game, their form has not been good, winning just one of the following 4 games. That one win came against KXIP and was an inspiring 10 wicket victory chasing a big total. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is yet to get in full fitness. CSK has an aging side but with the experience they possess, they can easily make up for a slow start provided their middle-order batsmen perform.
7. Rajasthan Royals:After getting off to a flying start to the IPL season, winning 2 out of their first two matches, Rajasthan Royals have slowed down a bit. Losing three of the following three matches. The team from Rajasthan has been the most entertaining team to watch so far. From chasing down 226 runs against KXIP to putting up 216 batting first against the Chennai Super Kings. The one time winners of IPL, have failed to reach the playoffs in each of the last three IPL seasons and are desperate to change their form in order to dismiss the prospects of another failure in the IPL. Ben Stokes one of their marquee signings is yet to play. With the addition of Stokes, Rajasthan’s middle order will get a lot of support which was missing.
8. Kings XI Punjab:After a very positive start in the auction, Kings XI Punjab has failed to replicate the same start on the cricket field. Winning just one out of the first 5 matches, KXIP sits dead last on the table with just 2 points. KXIP has a very strong group of players who started off their tournament in a good fashion against Delhi but due to luck being against their side, they ended up losing the game on super overs. Following the defeat, they ended up beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 97 runs in the second game following a delightful century from KL Rahul.  However, since then things have gone downhill for KXIP from throwing games like the one against Rajasthan to severe failure in the bowling against CSK and Mumbai Indians. After a difficult start, KXIP would look to bounce back in the next phase of their tournament as they look to win their first-ever IPL trophy.

TOP INDIVIDUAL PLAYER  PERFORMANCES

The DREAM 11 IPL 2020 is one another edition of the IPL dominated by the batsmen. Some of the terrific batting performances include KL Rahul’s brilliant knock of 132 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rahul currently holds the orange cap with 302 runs but his fellow KXIP teammate Mayank Agarwal is also having the season to remember scoring a maiden century in T-20 cricket against Rajasthan Royals. Faf Du Plessis has been another sensational performer in this edition of the IPL. The veteran South African has been terrific for the Chennai Super Kings scoring 282 runs at an average of 94. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has also been in blistering form in this IPL and that form was on display when he scored an impressive 80 against KXIP. Delhi Capitals Captain Shreyas Iyer has been a positive spark for his side throughout the tournament regularly batting his team out of tough situations during the middle overs. However, when it comes to impact and match-winning knock Rahul Tewatia’s knock of 57 against KXIP was one to remember. He won the game for his side from a very grim situation scoring 5 sixes in one over off Sheldon Cottrel.

With IPL 2020 recording the highest average of sixes across all editions, the bowlers have faced rather an uphill task to tame the batsmen. Despite that, IPL 2020 has witnessed some incredible bowling spells that have left the opposition batsmen stunned.KXIP pacer Mohammed Shami, who is currently 4th in the race for the purple cap registered his best bowling figures in IPL by finishing with 3 for 15 in his spell of four overs against Delhi Capitals. Shami’s previous best was 3/21, which he achieved during the 2019 season against Mumbai Indians. In the Match 11 of the Indian Premier League, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Rashid Khan recorded brilliant bowling figures of 4-0-14-3- his best in IPL so far. Royal Challengers Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal however, continues to don the Purple Cap after he bagged three wickets against Rajasthan Royals in the Match no.15 of Indian Premier League 2020 on Saturday. Overall, the wrist spinner has bagged 8 wickets in four matches of IPL 2020 and he is on top of the Purple Cap holder list with an economy of 7.18. Chahal is followed by Delhi Capitals pacer Kagiso Rabada who also has 8 wickets in his kitty and an economy rate of 7.87. Notably, Mumbai Indian pacers Trent Boult and James Pattinson acquired third and fifth positions in the table respectively after they clinched two wickets each against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile, KXIP pacer Mohammad Sham slipped to the fourth position after he failed to pick a single wicket against CSK.

The first phase of IPL 2020 has concluded after the conclusion of 4 matches for every team. The players have become much fitter, the bowlers who looked out of depth towards the start of the campaign are starting to find their rhythm and form. The competition for the playoff spots is slowly starting to increase along with the added pressure for the players in order to deliver good performances. One of the drawbacks of the previous IPL seasons has been poor fielding. However, in this season, the fielding has been a positive aspect with brilliant fielding displays from all teams. Quality batting, quality bowling, and quality fielding are what make a cricket tournament competitive. Despite being under difficult circumstances caused by the COVID 19 or coronavirus pandemic, the IPL 2020 pans out to be a wonderful season of IPL filled with entertainment for the fans and good safe cricket for the players.