Two Afghan cricketers debut as IPL10 gets off to a glitzy start

The 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see eight teams named after Indian cities vie for honours and play 60 matches over the next 47 days to decide the winner.

Kohli and de Villiers nursing injuries: Indian cricket team and RCB captain Virat Kohli, a star draw at cricketing events, will miss the opening games of this year's IPL due to a shoulder injury sustained during India's recent home test series against Australia, which Indian won 2-1. The Delhi-batsman was the highest run-getter at the IPL in 2016, scoring 973 runs in 16 games which included four centuries. Another explosive batter, the South African AB de Villiers, will also be out of action for the Royal Challengers due to an injury.

Debut by Afghan players: While no Pakistani cricketer has played in the IPL since 2008, the tenth session of the IPL will nevertheless be a memorable one for Afghanistan as two of its players, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, make their IPL debut for the Sunrisers team in the inaugural match of the season.

Watch out for Ishant Sharma: In a bid to add experience to a young bowling line-up, Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday roped in Ishant Sharma on Virender Sehwag's advice after the senior speedster went unsold at the IPL auction. Currently, India's senior-most pacer in the Test squad (77 matches), he went unsold due to his high base price of ₹2 crore. "A couple of days back, Viru bhai called up and asked if I am free. That's how it worked out," Ishant told PTI after his first training session with the team. Ishant said that he is fresher than some of the other pacers as he played only five of the 13 home Tests this season.

Rishi Kapoor bats for Pakistani players: Kapoor and Sons star Rishi Kapoor says that Pakistani cricket players should be allowed to play in the IPL as cricketers from all around the world are being given a chance to showcase their talent.

Keeping their differences aside, the star held, Indians should rise to the occasion as a bigger and kinder nation. “Phir match hoga! Hum bade log hain. (Match must be played again. We are a benevolent people)," said Kapoor.

RCB banks on Gayle again: New Zealand star batsman Brendon McCullum teased his compatriot and RCB coach Daniel Vettori on Twitter, noting the depleted strength of the Bengaluru side this season.

Beside Virat Kohli and South Africa's AB de Villiers, the South Indian franchise will also miss Sarfaraz Khan who was reportedly brought in as replacement for the Indian captain. The Bengaluru club will hugely rely on West Indian batsman Chris Gayle on the top of the order to steer through the opening matches before Kohli could make a possible comeback later in the tournament. McCullum is playing for Gujarat Lions this year.

Pietersen as commentator: Former English batsman Kevin Pietersen will make his commentary debut in the IPL this season. The controversial South African-born player fell out of favour with English selectors after reported differences with fellow players surfaced in the media in 2014, when he last played for England. Pietersen has represented Bengaluru, Delhi and Pune in the IPL in the past. He announced his return to the IPL on Twitter.

Compiled by Dhairya Maheshwari