Chennai will witness on Friday the first clash of Indian Premier League 2021, the second avatar of the pandemic-era tournament in eight months, after the 2020 edition had to be postponed to November and moved to UAE.

The inaugural match of the cricketing extravaganza will see the clash between reigning champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Last year's final was held on November 10th in Dubai.

For the Indian players who are national team members, it's been relentless cricket since then. From Dubai, they went straight to Australia for a full-fledged tour. After returning from Australia, they hosted a gruelling series against&nbsp;England. The last game was on March 28th.&nbsp;

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After that, they went into their respective IPL team camps. First to the bio-secure bubbles, then training, and now, back to action. In short, the pandemic has not stopped the play for them.

But COVID-19 is very much in the minds of cricketers and organisers alike. Several players, some coaches and officials have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past months. There are going to be restrictions on attendance, and calls have been made to relocate matches.

One of the venues is in Mumbai, which is facing one of the worst spikes of Covid cases.

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Matches in Mumbai are scheduled from April 10 to 25, at Wankhede stadium. Some local residents have already written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking for a change of location in view of the spike. Though spectators are not allowed, there are concerns about large number of people gathering to see the cricketers passing by in their buses.&nbsp;

There are also worries that the tournament could turn into a super-spreader event.

But the show, it appears, will go on. IPL 2021 will be held in six cities - Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Kolkata. The final will be played at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium Ahmedabad on May 30th. &nbsp;

And the Board of Control for Cricket in India is leaving no stones unturned to pull it off.

“COVID-19 cases are increasing, so BCCI has taken all precautions for IPL," assured BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/from-rabada-to-archer-key-players-set-to-miss-first-ipl-2021-match-of-their-teams-376238" hreflang="en">Key players set to miss first IPL 2021 match of their teams</a>

"Only six venues have been kept for the tournament, bio-bubble has been created, members of the squad have also been increased. The tournament will go on without any audience,” he added.

The Indian cricketing body has ruled out shifting IPL from Mumbai. But it has put in place a number of restrictions and precautionary measures.

Besides the decision to have no spectators, BCCI will ensure that the squads, support staff and other stakeholders are in bio-bubbles till the tournament finishes. There will be 'bio-bubble enforcers' and Covid tests on a regular basis for all involved in the event.

Check-in counters specifically for the IPL squads and support staff have been requested at airports of the hosting cities. &nbsp;

Bio-bubble integrity officers will make it mandatory for players and staff to wear masks before leaving hotel rooms. They will have to wear masks in order to use the common areas of the hotels. It will be ensured that they wear masks before leaving the grounds.

A few players and officials have already tested positive for the dreaded virus.&nbsp;This includes former India wicketkeeper Kiran More&nbsp;and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams.

In spite of the odds, BCCI is hoping to repeat the feat it pulled off in the UAE last year.&nbsp;

It's indeed all fingers crossed, for bringing to you what was known as the father of all entertainment.

Chennai will witness on Friday the first clash of Indian Premier League 2021, the second avatar of the pandemic-era tournament in eight months, after the 2020 edition had to be postponed to November and moved to UAE.

Chennai will witness on Friday the first clash of Indian Premier League 2021, the second avatar of the pandemic-era tournament in eight months, after the 2020 edition had to be postponed to November and moved to UAE. The inaugural match of the cricketing extravaganza will see the clash between reigning champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Last year's final was held on November 10th in Dubai. For the Indian players who are national team members, it's been relentless cricket since then. From Dubai, they went straight to Australia for a full-fledged tour. After returning from Australia, they hosted a gruelling series against England. The last game was on March 28th. ALSO READ: VVS Laxman to WION: IPL biggest game-changer for Indian cricket After that, they went into their respective IPL team camps. First to the bio-secure bubbles, then training, and now, back to action. In short, the pandemic has not stopped the play for them. But COVID-19 is very much in the minds of cricketers and organisers alike. Several players, some coaches and officials have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past months. There are going to be restrictions on attendance, and calls have been made to relocate matches. One of the venues is in Mumbai, which is facing one of the worst spikes of Covid cases. IN PICS | From MS Dhoni to Imran Tahir: Five oldest players in IPL 2021 Matches in Mumbai are scheduled from April 10 to 25, at Wankhede stadium. Some local residents have already written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking for a change of location in view of the spike. Though spectators are not allowed, there are concerns about large number of people gathering to see the cricketers passing by in their buses. There are also worries that the tournament could turn into a super-spreader event. But the show, it appears, will go on. IPL 2021 will be held in six cities - Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, and Kolkata. The final will be played at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium Ahmedabad on May 30th. And the Board of Control for Cricket in India is leaving no stones unturned to pull it off. “COVID-19 cases are increasing, so BCCI has taken all precautions for IPL," assured BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla ALSO READ: Key players set to miss first IPL 2021 match of their teams "Only six venues have been kept for the tournament, bio-bubble has been created, members of the squad have also been increased. The tournament will go on without any audience,” he added. The Indian cricketing body has ruled out shifting IPL from Mumbai. But it has put in place a number of restrictions and precautionary measures. Besides the decision to have no spectators, BCCI will ensure that the squads, support staff and other stakeholders are in bio-bubbles till the tournament finishes. There will be 'bio-bubble enforcers' and Covid tests on a regular basis for all involved in the event. Check-in counters specifically for the IPL squads and support staff have been requested at airports of the hosting cities. Bio-bubble integrity officers will make it mandatory for players and staff to wear masks before leaving hotel rooms. They will have to wear masks in order to use the common areas of the hotels. It will be ensured that they wear masks before leaving the grounds. A few players and officials have already tested positive for the dreaded virus. This includes former India wicketkeeper Kiran More and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams. In spite of the odds, BCCI is hoping to repeat the feat it pulled off in the UAE last year. It's indeed all fingers crossed, for bringing to you what was known as the father of all entertainment.

Show must go on: How will BCCI pull off IPL 2021, the second tournament in the pandemic era?

Dependable home bowlers delivered after Sam Billings and Corey Anderson did the job with the bat as Delhi Daredevils outclassed Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs in an IPL match here on Saturday.

Billings (55) struck his second IPL fifty before Anderson (39 not out) provided late fireworks to lead the hosts to a respectable 188 for six.

The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle.

Daredevils, who have one of most potent attacks in the league, then restricted Punjab to 137 for nine to hand the visitors their second straight defeat.

The home spinners as well as pacers dominated the Punjab batsmen, never giving them free runs.

It was spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who rattled the Punjab top-order by scalping Manan Vohra (3) and Wriddhiman Saha (7) in successive overs while Chris Morris (3/23) saw the back of Hashim Amla (19).

Adding to the wickets, skipper Zaheer Khan and Australian quick Pat Cummins (2/23) bowled tight overs to choke Punjab. Punjab&#39;s 50 came as late as in the ninth over while Eoin Morgan (22) departed at the half-way mark, caught by Karun Nair off Cummins.

Tottering at 64 for four in 10 overs, the visitors needed 125 runs from the last 10. With David Miller and skipper Glenn Maxwell around it was not impossible but Daredevils had too good an attack.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who has been very consistent from the start of the league, dealt a severe blow to Punjab by seeing the back of Maxwell, who could not even open his account.

The last nail in the Punjab coffin was the wicket of Miller, who was trapped by Anderson in the 14th over.

Earlier, the hosts after a surprise decision to bat first, enjoyed their best start of the season through Billings and Sanju Samson (19) but intermittent wickets hurt them a bit.

They were 83 for two after 10 overs, following the opening pair&#39;s 53-run stand but from overs 10 to 15 the hosts managed only 37 runs and lost the set pair of Shreyas Iyer (22) and Billings.

From there, Morris and Anderson took the onus to get the side to a fighting total, hitting some lusty hits towards the end of innings.

Morris&#39; cameo together with Anderson&#39;s calculated approach negated the good work done by Punjab spinners Axar Patel (1/33) and KC Cariappa (1/23).

Anderson, who hit three fours and as many shots over the ropes in his unbeaten knock off 22 balls, ended the innings with a six off Sandeep Sharma.

At the start, both Punjab pacers Sandeep and Mohit Sharma were largely disciplined but a marginal error was enough for Samson and Billings to steal boundaries.

Billings, who had been struggling for form so far, took some time to find his rhythm but gradually came into his zone.&nbsp; 
 
Samson carried on with his tremendous touch after hammering his maiden IPL ton against Pune and began with two fours off Sandeep.

Punjab today fielded five specialist bowlers and skipper Glenn Maxwell quickly shuffled them around. The Punjab pacemen though proved ineffective. Billings made Varun Aaron look pedestrian with a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over.

Delhi openers put on 49 after Powerplay overs as Samson ended the sixth over with a six off Mohit. Left-arm spinner Patel was the only bowler who got some respect from the home batsmen.

Leg-spinner Cariappa, who came in for Ishant Sharma, provided the breakthrough by scalping Samson, who miscued one to long-off. Aaron extended the poor run of Karun Nair (0) by having him caught by Wriddhiman Saha.

Billings found steady partner in Iyer but the Delhi youngster lost his wicket while attempting to accelerate off Mohit. Billings reached his fifty but could not make the most of a good start, becoming a victim of Patel.

The onus was on young Rishabh Pant (15) to take the side to a fighting total but he too fell soon. The wickets kept tumbling but Anderson succeeded in providing impetus to the innings.

(PTI) 
&nbsp;

The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle

Dependable home bowlers delivered after Sam Billings and Corey Anderson did the job with the bat as Delhi Daredevils outclassed Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs in an IPL match here on Saturday. Billings (55) struck his second IPL fifty before Anderson (39 not out) provided late fireworks to lead the hosts to a respectable 188 for six. The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle. Daredevils, who have one of most potent attacks in the league, then restricted Punjab to 137 for nine to hand the visitors their second straight defeat. The home spinners as well as pacers dominated the Punjab batsmen, never giving them free runs. It was spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who rattled the Punjab top-order by scalping Manan Vohra (3) and Wriddhiman Saha (7) in successive overs while Chris Morris (3/23) saw the back of Hashim Amla (19). Adding to the wickets, skipper Zaheer Khan and Australian quick Pat Cummins (2/23) bowled tight overs to choke Punjab. Punjab's 50 came as late as in the ninth over while Eoin Morgan (22) departed at the half-way mark, caught by Karun Nair off Cummins. Tottering at 64 for four in 10 overs, the visitors needed 125 runs from the last 10. With David Miller and skipper Glenn Maxwell around it was not impossible but Daredevils had too good an attack. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who has been very consistent from the start of the league, dealt a severe blow to Punjab by seeing the back of Maxwell, who could not even open his account. The last nail in the Punjab coffin was the wicket of Miller, who was trapped by Anderson in the 14th over. Earlier, the hosts after a surprise decision to bat first, enjoyed their best start of the season through Billings and Sanju Samson (19) but intermittent wickets hurt them a bit. They were 83 for two after 10 overs, following the opening pair's 53-run stand but from overs 10 to 15 the hosts managed only 37 runs and lost the set pair of Shreyas Iyer (22) and Billings. From there, Morris and Anderson took the onus to get the side to a fighting total, hitting some lusty hits towards the end of innings. Morris' cameo together with Anderson's calculated approach negated the good work done by Punjab spinners Axar Patel (1/33) and KC Cariappa (1/23). Anderson, who hit three fours and as many shots over the ropes in his unbeaten knock off 22 balls, ended the innings with a six off Sandeep Sharma. At the start, both Punjab pacers Sandeep and Mohit Sharma were largely disciplined but a marginal error was enough for Samson and Billings to steal boundaries. Billings, who had been struggling for form so far, took some time to find his rhythm but gradually came into his zone. Samson carried on with his tremendous touch after hammering his maiden IPL ton against Pune and began with two fours off Sandeep. Punjab today fielded five specialist bowlers and skipper Glenn Maxwell quickly shuffled them around. The Punjab pacemen though proved ineffective. Billings made Varun Aaron look pedestrian with a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over. Delhi openers put on 49 after Powerplay overs as Samson ended the sixth over with a six off Mohit. Left-arm spinner Patel was the only bowler who got some respect from the home batsmen. Leg-spinner Cariappa, who came in for Ishant Sharma, provided the breakthrough by scalping Samson, who miscued one to long-off. Aaron extended the poor run of Karun Nair (0) by having him caught by Wriddhiman Saha. Billings found steady partner in Iyer but the Delhi youngster lost his wicket while attempting to accelerate off Mohit. Billings reached his fifty but could not make the most of a good start, becoming a victim of Patel. The onus was on young Rishabh Pant (15) to take the side to a fighting total but he too fell soon. The wickets kept tumbling but Anderson succeeded in providing impetus to the innings. (PTI)

IPL: Delhi Daredevils beat Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs

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Show must go on: How will BCCI pull off IPL 2021, the second tournament in the pandemic era?

IPL: Delhi Daredevils beat Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs