Brathwaite fireworks timely boost for IPL T20

Carlos Brathwaite may have given a thundering boost to Twenty20 cricket with his breathtaking assault on Ben Stokes in the World T20 final to hand West Indies a memorable triumph at Eden Gardens.

His mighty blows still resonates around the world giving an apt reminder that big hitters rule the roost in the shortest format of the game despite some batsmen struggling on spinning tracks during the world event.

Cricket fans will be hungry to see more of Brathwaite-like heroics during the IPL (Indian Premier League) which will roll into town this weekend assuring two months of non-stop entertainment.

Defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on new entrants Rising Pune Supergiants at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 9.

The final, too, will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on May 29.

The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune will host the home games of new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants, while the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot will be the home stadium of Gujarat Lions.

Apart from the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur will host two home games of Delhi Daredevils.

The VCA Stadium in Nagpur will host three home games for Kings XI Punjab, apart from their usual home ground in Mohali.

The ninth edition of the Indian Premier League will witness eight teams in action.

Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals following their suspension last year for the next two seasons.

Daredevils are purring with delight after Brathwaite stole the limelight in the World T20 but he is not guaranteed a regular place in the side.

"Every player will play on merit. It was his (Brathwaite) day and he performed in the World T20 final. In T20, as West Indies have shown, every other player has to come to the party in every match," Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua.

Hero

Meanwhile, Delhi welcomed the hero of World T20 final with their own brand of the 'champion dance' at a city hotel on Tuesday.

"Everyone knows that IPL is all about momentum. And after his performance in the World Cup final, Brathwaite is coming in with that kind of confidence," said Zaheer Khan who is the third Daredevils captain in the last three years.

"In the T20 format, because of the speed at which it moves, you need 11 captains on the field. I'll like to create an environment here where we can achieve that," said Zaheer who retired from international cricket last season.

"I am happy I retired from international cricket, so that I could help in the development of youngsters through the Daredevils," said the southpaw from Mumbai.

"It's my chance to give something back to the game like our mentor Rahul Dravid is doing with the Under-19 boys and now with the Daredevils too," he added.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have lost pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and are sweating over West Indian legspinner Samuel Badree, who injured himself in the World T20 final against England on Sunday.

Starc, who has been out of action since fracturing his foot in last November's day-night Test in Adelaide against New Zealand, is in rehab following surgery to his ankle. His absence will be a huge setback for RCB as he was the most economical bowler last season.

Firepower

But coach Daniel Vettori felt the team has enough firepower in the bowling line-up to trouble the opposition in the IPL.

"Everyone's seen how Mitch has bowled in the last couple of years in T20s and at the death. That's something we're going to miss. It's difficult bowling at the Chinnaswamy and so whenever we had him in the team we knew we had those four overs up our sleeve. That's a loss but it's an opportunity for the likes of Adam Milne and Kane Richardson to step up and fill in that slot," he said.

Despite having a plethora of superstar cricketers like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in their line-up, RCB never had a good all-rounder. Vettori said the presence of Shane Watson and Stuart Binny will add muscle to the squad.

After spending five seasons with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Dwayne Bravo is now out to seek IPL glory with Gujarat Lions, one of two new sides to have replaced CSK and Rajasthan Royals for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

The West Indian all rounder will be a key player in the Suresh Raina-captained side has nostalgic memories of CSK.

"There can never be another CSK. It was a delight to be part of the CSK set-up. But my new team has the core of CSK players. Besides me, there will be Raina, Brendon McCullum, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Smith. I hope that the people of Chennai will support Gujarat Lions. We know how to win matches and we will be a force to reckon with," Bravo said at a media conference.

Bravo said he will miss Dhoni in his new side.

"I will miss Dhoni's leadership. He was very clear in his thinking and always made the players comfortable. He is one of the best leaders of the world. But it will be a new challenge to play against his team Rising Pune Supergiants," he said.

Yuvraj

Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad are sweating over the availability of star player Yuvraj Singh before their opening clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru.

Yuvraj twisted his ankle in a crucial World T20 game against Australia on March 27 and was ruled out of the tournament.

Yuvraj shared a picture on Instagram on Tuesday where he is seen lifting weights despite wearing a plaster on his right leg.

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