IPL 2021: What is new, what has changed, who is in, who is out? Ten things different this time

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back in India with the 14th edition of the tournament set to roll on Friday.

While there is a massive buzz surrounding the cash-rich tournament among fans and cricket fraternity, IPL 2021 will witness a few tweaks amid challenging times.

From player changes to new guidelines, here are 10 things different in Indian Premier League 2021 ( IPL)

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1. Length of innings

Strict guidelines have been issued to teams to finish their bowling innings in 90 minutes. Within this, there will be five minutes of strategic time-out. As a result, an innings will now last85 minutes. Otherwise, the match will have to be finished as per the overs bowled within this time. The move comes after many matches in previous editions were played beyond the permitted time.

2. Hour-long Super Over

It has been decided to extend the match for only an hour after the designated time ends. In the last IPL, a match ended in a tie even in the Super Over, which resulted in another Super Over. After the new regulations by the BCCI, Super Overs will have to be played within an hour of a tied match. If the winner is not decided within this hour, both teams taking part will claim one point each. The decision has been taken so that the games don't go beyond the stipulated time.

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3. Third umpire to watch short run

The duty of monitoring short run will now go to the third umpire. Rule 18 of the Laws of Cricket states that “a run is "short" if either, or both, batsmen fail to make good their ground -- cross the crease-- in turning for a further run. In IPL 2020, the on-field umpire mistakenly called a run by Chris Jordan short - which led to Kings XI Punjab - now Punjab Kings - losing the match by a narrow margin.

4. On-field umpire's soft signal scrapped

If an on-field umpire leaves a decision to the third umpire, he does not have to convey his own decision, known as a soft signal.Earlier, if the third umpire could not take a decision, the on-field umpire's decision was taken as final. That has now been scrapped. The move comes after controversy surrounding soft signal in the series between India and England, where skipper Virat Kohli had expressed his disappointment regarding the rule.

5. Who calls no-balls?

As per the updated IPL guidelines, the third umpire can overrule the no-ball decision made by the on-field umpire. The move comes to cut short human errors. Earlier, the third-umpire couldn't interfere in on-field no-ball calls.

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6. Name change

Punjab team has gone for a change of name and a refreshed brand presence. The XI is out from Kings XI Punjab, and it's now Punjab Kings. This is the first time in IPL history that the Punjab team has gone for a name change. It remains to be seen whether this will bring a change in fortune for the KL Rahul-led side.

7. Captain woes for Delhi Capitals

Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the Delhi Capitals, was ruled out of IPL 2021 dueto a shoulder injury. Rishabh Pant has been named as the skipper in Iyer's absence. Interestingly, Pant had led Delhi's Ranji Trophy team, consisting of the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Nitish Rana, Navdeep Saini,to the final of the tournament in 2017.

8. Change of look

Most teams have new sponsors, and therefore, change in jersey.The overall design is also different for Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings while the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajashtan Royals have gone for a fresh look. Even Chennai Super Kings added a bit of flair to their jersey by adding camouflage shoulder strips as a tribute to the Indian armed forces.

9. Injury issues

Rajasthan Royals pacer Jofra Archer is not playing, at least initially, due to injury. The English star had surgery on his finger recently. His absence is seen as weakening the bowling attack of the team. However, the speedster is expected to return in the second phase of IPL 2021.

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10. No home venues

IPL 2021 will be played across six venues: Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. No teams will be able to play matches at their home venue as BCCI didn't want to hand an unfair advantage to any team. While the first leg will start at Chennai and Mumbai, the tournament will shift to Bengaluru, Kolkata and New Delhi in the next phase. Ahmedabad is scheduled to host the playoffs and final of IPL 2021.