In a cricket calendar packed with international matches and T20 leagues that seem to merge with one another, one tournaments stands for its sheer size and impact – the Indian Premier League.
The T20 format was created in England in the early 2000s but truly took off in India by 2007, where a young Indian team won the first World Cup. The next year, the IPL was born and it has been a meteoric rise since.
The league's valuation has ballooned to $10 billion, with its media rights alone now worth $6bn. According to YouGov, the cumulative viewership of IPL 2022 was close to 500 million. With the IPL to be shown for free across the country this year by online rights holders Reliance Jio, that number is expected to easily cross one billion.
The two-month long tournament will begin at the biggest stadium in the world – the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad – on March 31 and conclude with a title showdown on May 28 at the same venue.
Here is everything you need to know about this year's T20 extravaganza, where Gujarat Titans will look to defend their title.
What
IPL 2023
When
The tournament begins in Ahmedabad on March 31 with a match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The final will be held at the same venue on May 28.
Where
Matches will be held in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur and Mohali. Some games will also be played at Guwahati (Royals' home) and Dharamsala (Kings).
What is new this season?
There are a few major changes. Firstly, teams will be back to playing on a home and away basis, after they were restricted to a few venues in western India last year due to the pandemic. Also, teams will now be allowed to announce their squads after the toss.
Also, this IPL will see the introduction of 'impact player'. Apart from the playing XI, the captain can bring in one impact player from the four nominated substitutes. The 'impact player' can bat, bowl and field any time in the match, barring a bowler who can come in only after the end of the over.
Teams
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain, wk), Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Dwaine Pretorius, Ajinkya Rahane, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Shaik Rasheed, Subhranshu Senapati, Nishant Sindhu, Bhagath Varma, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki. Note: Kyle Jamieson injured.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tim David, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Ramandeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Tristan Stubbs, Vishnu Vinod, Arshad Khan, Raghav Goyal, Duan Jansen, Akash Madhwal. Note: Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson injured
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (captain), David Miller, Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, Matthew Wade, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shivam Mavi, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Jayant Yadav, Yash Dayal, Srikar Bharat, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Pradeep Sangwan, Mohit Sharma, Odean Smith
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, David Willey, Finn Allen, Reece Topley, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Suyash Prabhudessai, Manoj Bhandage, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Avinash Singh, Rajan Kumar, Himanshu Sharma, Karn Sharma, Sonu Yadav
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Ayush Badoni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Manan Vohra, Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohsin Khan, Prerak Mankad, Karan Sharma, Kyle Mayers, Daniel Sams, Swapnil Singh, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav
Kolkata Knight Riders: Nitish Rana (captain), Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Litton Das, David Wiese, Mandeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Umesh Yadav, N Jagadeesan (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Kulwant Khejroliya, Suyash Sharma. Note: Shreyas Iyer subject to fitness.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (captain), Rovman Powell, Rilee Rossouw, Mitchell Marsh, Philip Salt (wk), Yash Dhull, Manish Pandey, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Axar Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lungi Ngidi, Aman Hakim Khan, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Chetan Sakariya, Ishant Sharma. Note: Rishabh Pant injured.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain, wk), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Joe Root, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Adam Zampa, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kunal Singh Rathore, Abdul Basith, Donavon Ferreira, Dhruv Jurel, Murugan Ashwin, KM Asif, Akash Vasisht, Kuldip Yadav. Note: Prasidh Krishna injured.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Mohit Rathee, Harpreet Brar, Baltej Singh, Shivam Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa. Note: Jonny Bairstow uncertain
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Aiden Markram (captain), Harry Brook, Rahul Tripathi, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, T Natarajan, Adil Rashid, Umran Malik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abdul Samad, Anmolpreet Singh, Nitish Reddy, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Vivrant Sharma, Upendra Yadav, Akeal Hosein, Mayank Dagar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande
Prize money
The winning team is set to take home a cheque of 200 million rupees ($2.4 million). The runners-up will receive 125m rupees ($1.5m).
How to watch in the UAE
The IPL will be shown live on Criclife 1 on the Starzplay app in the UAE. You can also catch all the highlights on iplt20.com.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMaly%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mo%20Ibrahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.6%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2015%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%2C%20planning%20first%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GCC-based%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
