Less than six months after Chennai Super Kings lifted the IPL title in Dubai in October, the biggest T20 league in the world is back - at home and in front of fans.
Chennai Super Kings open the season against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, with talismanic Super Kings leader Mahendra Singh Dhoni no longer the captain having handed over the reins to Ravindra Jadeja.
Fans will be allowed at the four venues in western India that will host the league phase of the tournament - Wankhede Stadium, DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai and the MCA Stadium in Pune. Crowds will, initially at least, be limited to 25 percent capacity.
The league has been expanded to 10 teams, with the two new franchises - set up at a combined cost of $1.6 billion - being Gujarat Titans, owned by CVC Capital Partners, and Lucknow Super Giants, backed by Indian tycoon Sanjiv Goenka.
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Shah Rukh Khan is the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders and the biggest Bollywood star associated with the IPL. AFP -
Shah Rukh Khan watches the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 12, 2020. Sportzpics for BCCI -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, during the 2014 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai. Courtesy Dubai Government Media Office -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, watches the 2014 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Courtesy Dubai Government Media Office -
Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif waves to the crowd while watching the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on May 23, 2009. AFP -
Late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput during the 2015 IPL match between Chennai Superkings and Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Sportzpics / IPL -
Late actor Irrfan Khan, left, Deepika Padukone, centre, and legendary star Amitabh Bachchan during the 2015 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sportzpics / IPL -
Preity Zinta, co-owner of Punjab Kings, during the match against Chennai Super Kings at the Dubai International Stadium on October 7, 2021. Sportzpics for IPL -
Preity Zinta, co-owner of Punjab Kings (then the Kings XI Punjab), during a match against Royal Challengers in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Anushka Sharma, actress and wife Royal Challengers Bangalore star Virat Kohli, during the 2018 IPL match against Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore AFP -
Preeti Zinta and actor Ranbir Kapoor during the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi on May 15, 2012. Getty -
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan watches the match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 11, 2012. AFP -
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar with Delhi Daredevils players Virender Sehwag, left, Shoaib Malik, second right, and Mohammad Asif in New Delhi on March 31, 2008. AFP -
Actor Venkatesh, left, and former Indian bowler Venkatesh Prasad during the 2017 IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad. Sportzpics / IPL -
Actor Vivek Oberoi watches the match between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dubai International Stadium on September 22, 2021. Sportzpics / IPL -
Actress Nargis Fakhri during the match between Rising Pune Supergiants and Mumbai Indians at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, on May 1, 2016. Sportzpics/ IPL -
Late actor Irrfan Khan during the 2016 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi. Sportzpics / IPL -
Tennis star Sania Mirza during the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on May 18, 2014. Sportzpics/ IPL -
Actor Venkatesh with Rana Daggubati, left, and music director Anu Malik during the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad on April 18, 2016. Sportzpics / IPL
The teams will be divided into two groups of five, based on their previous IPL records, for a 70-match regular season that is set to be the first completed entirely in India since 2019 because of the pandemic.
The franchises hit the reset button earlier this year, splurging $75 million to buy 204 players in the auction with Mumbai Indians bringing back Ishan Kishan for over $2 million.
England batter Liam Livingstone was the most expensive overseas player, costing the Punjab Kings $1.5 million.
All eyes will once again be on Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians, who are the most successful IPL team having won a record five titles.
Sharma will be in the spotlight as he is now the all-format captain of the Indian cricket team and fellow teammate Virat Kohli is no longer the leader of the national side or his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.
There was some good news ahead of the season opener, with India's cricket board announcing it plans to launch the women's edition of the IPL next year.
"It has to be approved by the annual general meeting," Sourav Ganguly, president of the Indian cricket board, said on Friday. "We plan to start it by next year hopefully."
IPL chairman Brijesh Patel said the process to launch the women's version has "started" and that it could be a five or six-team league.
