IPL Auctions 2021 - No major sponsor on board yet:The biggest cricket league in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL), once again has no sponsors. The relationship between IPL and title sponsor Dream11 ended on December 31 with a very remote chance to renew the deal with the flagship fantasy platform. Neither the official IPL website (Iplt20.com) nor any of the IPL press releases bear the Dream11 name or logo.Senior BCCI Officer in Sponsor Status IPL 2021. We are told that it is likely that the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) will make a new bid for the main sponsor, as a return to the former sponsors VIVO is not possible."Bidding for the new main sponsor is the only possible option currently available. The IPL deal for 2020 was almost half of it and we cannot continue it. A return to LIVE is also unlikely in the current situation. A Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry official said:" The final decision will be made on the new bid. And sponsor the title soon. "It should be noted that BCCI suspended its 440 Cr sponsorship deal with VIVO in the wake of anti-China sentiment ahead of IPL 2020. This led to Dream11 entering as a title sponsor, but for 222Cr, which is nearly half the price of the VIVO bargain. While signing the agreement, Dream11 tried to negotiate with BCCI to extend the rights to IPL 2022 also at the same price. But BCCI held up and the deal was eventually signed for only one season, i.e. IPL 2020.Will the auction take place without the main sponsor on board?The Board of Directors decided to hold the IPL Auctions 2021 on February 18th in Chennai, which is less than 3 weeks old. It will be difficult for BCCI to terminate the main sponsor before IPL auctions 2021.The IPL Auction is a widely broadcast and televised event in which the Main Sponsor, in particular, earns a large number of Miles and it currently appears that the auction in Chennai will be held without the Main Sponsor.Options with BCCI -1) Renegotiate the deal with Dream11:- Seems unlikely. This could put BCCI in a legal mess. The title sponsorship tender published by BCCI prior to the IPL 2020 was for only one year and if BCCI decided to renegotiate the agreement with Dream11 for another year, that would be contrary to the terms of the bid and could be challenged by the competing parties.2) Return to VIVO:- BCCI has all contractual rights to return to VIVO as the main sponsor. But the question is, will they risk defying the public sentiment that is still against China and Chinese companies? Once again, the choice appears unlikely.3) Bid for the main sponsor:-This appears to be the most feasible option in the current circumstances. This gives everyone involved a fair chance. Even BCCI can get a prime sponsor of similar value to what VIVO promised thanks to the massive audience numbers of IPL 2020.The problem with choice is lack of time. The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is unlikely to launch a tender in the next few days and complete the paperwork ahead of IPL auctions 2021.So don't be surprised if auctions for the world's largest cricket league take place without a major sponsor on board on February 18.Also Read: India vs England 2021 | England tour of India Full Schedule, venue, dates - All you need to know
The stage is full set for the 14th edition of the IPL final. In the battle of the south and east, the Chennai Super Kings will face the Kolkata Knight Riders in the final of IPL 2021. In a critical finish, the Chennai Super Kings secured a 4-wicket victory over the Delhi Capitals to cement their spot in the finals. This is their ninth final and which is the most by any team in IPL history. Every individual player contributed a lot to the success of Chennai in this edition. Ruturaj Gaikwad is in contention for the Emerging Player of the award and again proved his worth by scoring valuable 70 runs in the winning cause in Qualifier 1. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders held their nerves against Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 and won the match by three wickets in the final over the match, and booked their final spot. They have a 100 percent win record in the IPL finals and dreaming to lift the trophy for the third time. The second leg of the IPL was phenomenal for them as they totally became a formidable side.Match Details:Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, FinalVenue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, DubaiDate &Time: October 15th at 7:30 PM IST, and at 6:00 PM local timeLive Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+HotstarPitch Report:It’s an excellent sporting wicket that has got genuine bounce. The par score on this surface is between 165-170. The seamers can extract more pace out of the wicket. Playing to the merit will be the key for the batters here.Probable Playing XIs CSK vs KKR:Chennai Super KingsRuturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood, Deepak ChaharKolkata Knight RidersShubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Shivam Mavi, Varun ChakravarthyCSK vs KKR Top Picks for CSK vs KKR Dream11 Match:Top Picks – BatsmenRuturaj Gaikwad is just 24 runs away from becoming the leading run-scorer in this edition of the IPL. He had a terrific journey in the IPL 2021 where he has scored 603 runs in 15 matches at an average of 46.38. Shubman Gill became the leading run-scorer for Knight Riders in this IPL. He made batting look very simple on bowling-friendly surfaces. In 16 matches in this edition, he has mustered 427 runs at an average of 26.68 with the highest score of 57.Top Picks – All-RoundersRavindra Jadeja can bowl 3-4 overs for his captain in quick succession without giving any sort of room for the batters to go after him. So far in this IPL, he has picked up 11 wickets at an economy of 6.86 and scored 227 runs with the bat at an average of 75.66. We can say easily say, Venkatesh Iyer, is the player to watch out for in the future. The batting abilities he has possessed in this IPL have been innumerable. In 9 matches, he has scored 320 runs at an average of 40 and even picked up 3 wickets as well.Top Picks – BowlersShardul Thakur will be brimming with confidence. He has been picked in the Indian T20 World Cup revised squad. He was rewarded for his excellent bowling performances in the 2nd leg of the IPL. Overall, in this IPL, he has scalped 18 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 8.75. With the way, Varun Chakravarthy is performing in this IPL, he will definitely be going to find his place in the final eleven in the T20 World Cup. In 16 matches, he has scalped 18 wickets in this edition of the IPL at an economy of 6.4.Top Picks – WicketkeepersThe greatest finisher, MS Dhoni has returned to his best with a match-winning knock of 18* runs from 6 balls in Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capitals. He still averages 16.28 in this tournament.Suggested Playing XI No.1 for CSK vs KKR Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:MS Dhoni, Robin Uthappa, Faf du Plessis (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer (vc), Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Varun ChakravarthySuggested Playing XI No.2 for CSK vs KKR Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi (vc), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur, Varun ChakravarthyCSK vs KKR Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:Player Statistics Dream11 Points Ruturaj Gaikwad 603 runs 900 Faf du Plessis 547 runs 868 Venkatesh Iyer 320 runs 577 Varun ChaKravarthy 18 wickets 648 Sunil Narine 14 wickets and 60 runs 597 CSK vs KKR Risky Captaincy Choices:Robin Uthappa showed his vintage batting skills in Qualifier 1 against top-quality Delhi Capitals bowling unit. He scored 63 runs in no time. He is a risky captaincy pick for your fantasy teams. Nitish Rana has scored 383 runs in 15 innings in this tournament at an average of 31.91 with the highest score of 80. You can take a risk and pick him as your fantasy team skipper.Player you should avoid:Eoin Morgan has been spot on with his captaincy skills but as a batter, he has failed in this tournament. Hence, it’s better to avoid him while making your fantasy teams.Also Read- BCCI unveils Team India's new jersey ahead of T20 World Cup
