By- Vadiraj Kanakagiri

Ever had the feeling of celebrating a festival in two parts? Well, that's pretty telling of the times we live in right now. As it is aptly called, the  Indian Premier League (IPL) is renowned as the 'festival is festivals'. It is indeed the carnival that captivates all the cricketing fanatics across the globe. After getting abruptly halted earlier this year, due to the neoteric nemesis of human mankind, COVID-19, which is showing no signs of relenting whatsoever.

But, for heaven's sake, the The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has some good friends in the cricketing administrator's circle, although most of it is due to the truckload of money the Indian board makes. As it was back in 2014, the UAE has agreed to be the host to the second part of this cash-rich tournament. Let's hope this half finishes at one go this time around, without any interruptions, like the successful previous season.

In the first game of the rescheduled fixtures, reigning champions Mumbai are set to lock horns with the second-placed team Chennai Super Kings (CSK). No one denies the fact that these two teams are the most successful franchises in the history of the IPL, but Mumbai has found it a little hard to get going in this edition. But, if we know one thing about MI, they like to peak late and once they do, good luck stopping them.

After a rare poor season in the last edition, the old war-horse MS Dhoni has managed to bring his team back to where it suits them, at the top of the table. The move to send Moeen Ali at No.3 in place of Suresh Raina, who's considered the most successful batsman in the league's history, raised a fair bit of eyebrows initially. But the way Ali has delivered both with bat and ball has brought a new dimension for the combination of the team. Mastermind MSD has a knack for pulling off such unusual moves and making it work like magic.

After all of the covid tests, leaving the family's behind, the quarantines, the adjusting to bubble life, the second leg of the fourteenth edition is finally going to kick off today, the 19th, at the Dubai International Stadium. With the pitch having a history of assisting the batters quite a lot, rest assured, we'll be having a cracker of a game.