VIVO IPL 2018: Points Table, Schedule, Time Table List, Venue, Team List, Winners, Orange/Purple Cap

So the new season of IPL is upon us. This season is special because it marks the return of two franchises that were absent for the last two seasons. Yes, the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals are back. Cricket is a religion in India and IPL can be called as the religious festival by that sense. The breakaway win in the Nidahas Trophy and the manner in which India won it by Dinesh Karthik smashing a six off the last ball has increased the anticipation of the fans. The season brings on the 7th April and will culminate on the 27th May. The first match is between the defending champions Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings. The match will be played at the MI home ground Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai Indians are the only team to have won the tournament thrice. CSK has won it twice. CSK is the only team in the tournament to be lead by a single captain in all seasons. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be leading CSK this season also.

The tournament has eight teams and every team plays each other twice once home and away in a round-robin format. The top four teams make it to the playoffs. The top two teams play each other and the team that wins directly goes to the final. The team that loses does not go out but plays the winner of the third and the fourth-placed teams which play each other in an eliminator. The winner of the eliminator and the loser of the first match between the top two teams meet again to qualify for the final. Therefore the teams at the top tow spots get two chances to be in the final.

Some of the team composition rules (as of 2018 season) are as follows:

• The squad strength must be between 18 and 25 players, with a maximum of 8 overseas players.
• The salary cap of the entire squad must not exceed ₹80 crore.
• Under-19 players cannot be picked unless they have previously played first-class or List A cricket.
• A team can play a maximum of 4 overseas players in their playing eleven but there are some instances in IPL when teams have been played with less than 4 overseas players.

There are caps also which acts as a motivation for the players. There are two caps – orange and the purple cap. The orange cap is given to the batsman who is the highest scorer in the tournament. The cap starts to change heads after the first round. The same thing happens with the purple cap, it is awarded to the bowler who has the highest wicket in the tournament.

IPL 2018 Points Table with Net Run Rate

Orange Cap Holder in IPL 2018

Ambati Rayudu (CSK) – 6 Matches – 283 Runs

Purple Cap Holder in IPL 2018

Trent Boult (DD) – 7 Matches – 11 Wickets

VIVO IPL 2018 Schedule (Time-table) with Venue: