Five IPL 2016 matches you can't afford to miss

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  • Only a week after the conclusion of another major T20 tournament, the Indian Premier League is back. Indian cricket’s festival, its sporting and entertainment extravaganza comes hot on the heels of a stunning denouement to the ICC World T20 and expectations are high.

    The IPL hasn’t always got it right (sample the truly execrable mini-scoreboard at the bottom of the screen), but there are still some truly mouth-watering clashes this season that will keep both the hardcore fans and the casual viewers wired throughout.

    They are all individual chapters in India’s biggest celebration of the summer. Here are five match-ups you should look forward to:

    GUJARAT LIONS vs RISING PUNE SUPERGIANTS (April 14)

    Ravindra Jadeja will square off against his former captain MS Dhoni

    Jadeja will face his former captain

    Besides the obvious novelty factor in the meeting of these two IPL new boys on April 14, there is also the intriguing clash of former team-mates.  Following a division of assets because of sanctions on the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals, the two new franchises have some promising one-on-one face-offs in store for us. Certainly, the wits of MS Dhoni pitted against his proteges Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina are a must-watch.

    Dhoni will also be up against Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum, both of whom played for the Super Kings.

    It will also be an interesting ‘reunion’ for Aaron Finch, who played for the city’s previous franchise the Sahara Pune Warriors. Dhawal Kulkarni could also go mano-a-mano with ex-team-mate Ajinkya Rahane.

    KINGS XI PUNJAB vs DELHI DAREDEVILS (May 7)

    Can Miller's boys seal the deal against a young Daredevils outfit?

    Can Miller’s boys finally win?

    The encounter between these two on May 7 is given an exciting, albeit somewhat cruel, twist by the venue. Nagpur plays host to the two teams in the first of two games that Saturday. The very same Nagpur whose pitch was deemed ‘poor’ by the ICC following the Test match between India and South Africa in November.

    The wicket was highly mercurial, and the movement of the ball off the surface caused batsmen some serious difficulties. The match was over within three days.

    Should the pitch not recover drastically, expect plenty of thrills, spills and general chaos for both sides.

    DELHI DAREDEVILS vs SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (May 20)

    The only game of the day, scheduled for the evening of May 20, sees two of India’s major metropolitan cities face off in an encounter that carries much symbolic importance. It is being held in the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Naya Raipur – the first game to be played there (a second is officially scheduled on May 22 between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore).

    Cricket, to invoke a well-worn cliche, is practically a religion the length and breadth of the country. Playing such high-profile games in non-metros signifies a desire to connect with non-conventional cricketing cities in India. It’s all about sharing the love of the game and reaching out to as many people as possible.

    RISING PUNE SUPERGIANTS vs KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (April 24)

    Brad Hogg might be 45, but he bowls like a 20 year old.

    Brad Hogg: 45 or 20?

    Mark the date in your calendars, for you could experience time travel that day. The nostalgia will flow in Pune as both teams’ squads are packed with names who were at their most young and lustful almost 10 years ago – a time when the legends of Indian cricket and these bright young things existed side by side and no mountain was too high.

    For Pune, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma and MS Dhoni are all likely to play (although Irfan Pathan’s place is nowhere near as certain). And for Kolkata, Piyush Chawla, Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa all have strong cases. Jointly, they’ll make us remember what 2007 was like.

    ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE vs DELHI DAREDEVILS (April 17)

    Perhaps they will remember April 17 as a day of bloodbath. It may be just an exercise in rabbit-killing, such is the extent to which the deck is stacked in favour of Bangalore.

    Think about it. At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with three of the most destructive batsmen this format of the game has ever seen, against an out-of-sorts opposition low on confidence and shaky on squad options. Should Bangalore bat first, it could get very ugly very quickly.

    AB de Villiers. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli  could make this perfect viewing for the sadists. Certainly, if Delhi stick with their current selection policy, their chances are not great.

    Or maybe the Daredevils will steal it and the capital will be euphoric.

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