Abu Dhabi, Apr 16: First there was the drama over the venue - thanks to the general election being held in India - and then there was a case in the Supreme Court on whether or not Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals should be allowed to participate in this year's Indian Premier League - thanks to the spot-fixing fiasco that broke out in IPL-6.
The Supreme Court had almost threatened to suspend the two teams after the Mukul Mudgal Commission inferred that CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan and a few RR players and officials were involved in betting, but decided otherwise.
Come Wednesday, off-field issues will take a backseat - at least for fans - as defending champions Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
It couldn't have been a better sight for cricket fans in the UAE as Indian cricketers return to the Emirates after almost eight years - having last played two matches in 2006. And the excitement is evident from the fact that all matches going into the weekend are already sold out.
While MI are definitely favourites on paper, one can never say till the final ball is bowled in a T20 match. And who would know it better than 2012 champions KKR. Having come into the sixth edition as defending champions, KKR failed to do much and finished a dismal seventh. But the management took note of the failure and only skipper Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine were retained.
For Mumbai, it is all about starting from where they left last season. While the batting looks as safe as houses in the hands of Michael Hussey and skipper Rohit Sharma, one cannot talk of Mumbai and forget their latest star recruit Corey Anderson. The all-rounder will definitely want to use the tournament to show that scoring the fastest hundred in ODIs was no flash in the pan.
Sadly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will have more on its mind than the opening match of the IPL. After all, the SC will hear BCCI's plea seeking transcripts of the deposition made by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, former BCCI chief N. Srinivasan and IPL COO Sundar Raman on Wednesday morning.
The BCCI is clearly aware of the beating that the credibility of the T20 league has taken over the last year, and that is one of the main reasons why the BCCI decided to do away with a gala opening ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
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