Team Café
The ongoing 2016 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is different from previous editions in ways more than one. The most significant change is the presence of two new teams who have replaced teams that enjoyed a strong fan-base across the country till last year. The Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiants were brought into the IPL to replace the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals. The latter two teams have been suspended from the Indian Premier League for a couple of years. While the Gujarat Lions have roped in Suresh Raina as their captain, the Pune franchise has successfully captured the captain of the national side, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as their skipper.
Ankur Karapurkar, a former Chennai Super Kings fan from Panjim was left rather puzzled with his favourite players Raina and Dhoni taking charge of two new teams. Ankur says, “It was a tough call to take; I did not know which team to support. It has been a week and I still don’t have an answer to the question. Having said that, Raina’ Gujarat Lions are looking really strong and sitting right at the top of the points table with two victories in two matches.”
While Ankur is still trying to find his new love, Rishabh Naik from Mapusa is going strong with his love for Delhi Daredevils. Rishabh says, “Our team has undergone a lot of shuffling in the past three years. A few years ago, it was a perfect blend of experience and raw energy with Virendra Sehwag, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, etc decimating any opposition with ease. Even now, it looks really strong and the match on Friday, where DD decimated Kings XI Punjab, is a testimony to what this team can achieve.”
But not everything is right for all fans. Aston Fernandes, a fan of Sunrisers Hyderabad, has a lot to worry about as his team’s key players are nursing injuries. Yuvraj Singh, Kane Williamson and Ashish Nehra are currently unfit but are expected to be back in the near future to compete in the Indian Premier League. The team is yet to make a mark on the points table. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, is looking strong yet again, especially with a victory out of two matches. Arguably the most favourite team of IPL fans in Goa, MI is well on its way to add newer fans to its existing fan-base, thanks to the stellar performance of its key players. Anyone who saw Rohit Sharma play that graceful knock at Eden Gardens will give one an idea of the fire power in this team.”
Let’s wait for more action to unfold and see what’s in store.
