7pm How ya doin’? Thanks Ashish. If I was in the Chennai crowd, I would carry a “Hinthi nahi ata saar” placard. Anyway, this too shall pass. A timely reminder that because of this ceremony, this match will start at 8pm. All other matches will sart at the usual time of 7.30pm. Toss in half an hour.
ShahSafeer: “People are here to see the start of another blockbuster season of IPL while I am here ro see Virat Kohli bat again. It seems like it’s been ages since he last batted! “
Our hindi commentary is live as well, while Deiva has kicked off the live blog, too. And with that, please welcome Sidharth Monga in the comms seat.
Ask Star on ESPNcricinfo: Got a question for the Star Sports commentators about this match? Want to ask Navjot Sidhu, Ambati Rayudu or Harbhajan Singh about anything cricket? Go to the ESPNcricinfo homepage on the mobile site, click on the Ask Star button at the bottom of the screen, and send in your questions. They could get answered on TV.
Aaron: “RCB will be looking to groom Himanshu as their designated Leggie this season, would love to see him spin his magic wand in Chepauk!”
6.45pm The opening ceremony is underway. Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff making their way to the stage. Meanwhile, I have just spotted two RCB jerseys amid the sea of yellow! While the celebs do their thing how about some light reading from Alagappan Muthu: ChatIPL – An AI-powered peek at the league that defies logic. There is a also a pretty fascinating interview with Daryl Mitchell from Deivarayan and Alagappan where he opens up on what it was travelling around with his dad, John Mitchell – a world-class rugby coach.
Soumya: “Better to error towards caution. RCB can go with Dagar, Karn and Lormor as 3 spinners apart from Maxi on this pitch. They have the pacers and batting to breach casa Chepauk.”
6.30pm If you want to know what’s it like at Chepauk right now, Deiva sets it up beautifully from the venue. “He has handed over captaincy to Gaikwad, but he’s still Chennai’s Thala. The chants of “Dhoni!Dhoni!Dhoni!” and the whistles for him are getting louder and louder. It looks very much like these 14 matches – 16 or 17 if luck is once again on his side – are very much the beginning of the end. At the same time, the crowd is warming up to the new captain Gaikwad. Once, another Gaikwad with Maharashtrian roots, a certain Shivaji Rao, went on to become a household name in Chennai. That’s some way away, but for now Gaikwad has the keys to the Chennai kingdom. A huge replica of the IPL trophy now makes its way into the middle. The LED lights are also being tested out ahead of the opening ceremony, which will include performances of AR Rahman and Prabhu Deva.”
6.25pm The last time CSK and RCB played the opening game of an IPL season, RCB were rolled over for 70, and it took CSK 17.4 overs to chase the target down. RCB will want to right that wrong. But can they? CSK have three spin options in Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja and part-timer Rachin Ravindra on what could be another slow pitch. In contrast, RCB don’t have a world-class spinner in their ranks. Here’s Deivarayan Muthu with the match preview.
Pawas: “The first true transitional season of IPL is about to kick off” Really feels that way, isn’t? The first time ever in the IPL that none of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or MS Dhoni will be leading a team.
6.10pm We are still close to two hours away from ball one, but Chepauk is already half full and it shouldn’t take long for the stadium to be packed to the rafters. And make no mistake, it’s going to be a sea of Yellow at the Chepauk. There will be an opening ceremony with all the glitz and glamour in full flow. Once the dust settles, RCB will try and get the better of CSK at a venue where they haven’t had a lot of success. In fact, just once in nine attempts – that one coming way back in 2008. Can they change history?
Afeef: “And so begins another season of the IPL. Looking forward to a fantastic season. May or not be Dhoni’s last, but we know he will get the loudest cheer everywhere he goes.”
5.55pm There is a also a small matter of Virat Kohli returning to competitive cricket after close to two-and-a-half months having missed India’s five-game Test series against England. His most recent game was a T20I against Afghanistan in mid-January. How he goes in Chennai will be interesting to see, especially with the T20 World Cup starting right after the IPL.
5.40pm Righto, where do we start. The latest captaincy change is a good place, I reckon. A day before the IPL begins, defending champions CSK have a new captain – Ruturaj Gaikwad. Yep. And as with most things with Dhoni: It happened quietly. A whisper into the ether. Just like it did in 2014. And then in 2020. The end of an era. MS Dhoni’s last act as captain was lifting the IPL trophy. His most lasting act, subverting expectation. Here’s Alagappan Muthu on how as a season begins, an era ends, but life goes on for Dhoni.
5.30pm IPL S17 E01. Ten months on since that crazy final in Ahmedabad which started on a Sunday and ended on a Tuesday, we are back it again. Ten venues. Ten teams. New captains. Comebacks. Fanwars. The carnival returns. Hello and welcome to the ball-by-ball commentary of match No. 1 of IPL 2024 – MS Dhoni Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK vs Faf du Plessis-led RCB. I am Ashish Pant nice and early and will soon be joined by Sidharth Monga with all that unfolds in Chennai. Join in, it’s going to be a fun ride.
