IPL Schedule 2017: Live Stream, TV Info and Predictions for Upcoming Fixtures
Sunrisers Hyderabad will kick off the 2017 Indian Premier League cricket season on Wednesday when they host the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a repeat of last year's Twenty20 final.
Thursday will see Rising Pune Supergiants take to the field against the Mumbai Indians, while the Gujarat Lions, who topped the league phase of the competition in 2016, will begin their campaign at home to the Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday.
A double-header on Saturday sees the Kings XI Punjab take on Pune before the Delhi Daredevils make their first appearance of the season at RCB.
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Here is the complete schedule, including viewing information and predictions for each:
| Wednesday, April 5 | 3:30 p.m./10:30 a.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore | Sky Sports (UK), Willow TV (USA) | SH |
| Thursday, April 6 | 3:30 p.m./10:30 a.m. | Rising Pune Supergiant vs. Mumbai Indians | Sky Sports (UK), Willow TV (USA) | RPS |
| Friday, April 7 | 3:30 p.m./10:30 a.m. | Gujarat Lions vs. Kolkata Knight Riders | Sky Sports (UK), Willow TV (USA) | GL |
| Saturday April 8 | 10:30 a.m./5:30 a.m. | Kings XI Punjab vs. Rising Pune Supergiant | Sky Sports (UK), Willow TV (USA) | RPS |
| Saturday April 8 | 3:30 p.m./10:30 a.m. | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Delhi Daredevils | Sky Sports (UK), Willow TV (USA) | RCB |
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Hyderabad have won the pair's last two meetings, most recently in the 2016 IPL final.
Their opponents will be hoping to avenge those defeats to get the 10th season of the IPL off to the perfect start, but they'll need to do so without talismanic captain Virat Kohli.
Per the Indian Express, a shoulder injury suffered while playing for India will keep the batsman out of action for the first week of the tournament.
Kohli had an outstanding season last year as he won the Orange Cap for most runs scored with 963 runs and hit 38 sixes, more than any other batsman.
He gave an update on his recovery via Twitter:
RCB still have one of the IPL's most potent batsmen to call on in AB de Villiers, but the Sunrisers will undoubtedly be more optimistic because of Kohli's absence.
As cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle noted, he's not the only injury Bangalore have to contend with:
Meanwhile, Mohammad Nabi could make history as the first Afghanistan cricketer to play in the IPL if he makes his debut for Hyderabad, who celebrated him on Twitter:
Per the Times of India's Jamie Alter, the all-rounder will be a strong asset to the team—he took 12 wickets in the 2016 ICC World T20, more than any other player, and was the player of the series in the T20 Desert Challenge in January this year.
Indeed, in 17 limited-overs matches in 2017, he's racked up 378 runs and 22 wickets. A similar contribution in the IPL would be an excellent return, and he's poised to help his side capitalise on some damaging absences for RCB.
Rising Pune Supergiant vs. Mumbai Indians
Another player making his IPL debut is Ben Stokes, who became the most expensive foreign player in IPL history at auction in February at a cost of £1.7 million.
The Englishman will be tasked with helping Rising Pune improve on last year's disappointing showing, in which they finished seventh.
Per N. Ananthanarayanan of the Hindustan Times, he's relishing the prospect of playing: "I'm excited to be here and am grateful for the opportunity. It will be my first IPL, which I have only watched only on TV in the past. I hope we have a good season, and we hopefully win the trophy."
As demonstrated by cricket journalist Freddie Wilde, RPS' fortunes last year were dramatically different based on whether they batted first or second:
All-rounder Stokes will need to help his side set better totals at the crease and defend them more successfully with ball in hand if that is to improve.
A batting strike rate of 134.03 from 77 T20 career matches, per ESPN Cricinfo, should serve him well, though last year 64 players boasted a better bowling economy than his 8.60, so there's room for him to improve in that regard.
Per Ananthanarayanan, Stokes is aware of the challenge he faces: "T20 cricket is tough for the bowlers. You can bowl the same way in two games. It can work in one but go a different way in the other, batsmen can hit you 360 degrees. So the change of pace, and line and length, is important."
The bowler with the best economy last year was Mitchell Marsh, but the RPS pacer has had to be replaced with leg spinner Imran Tahir because of a shoulder injury.
The South African may not be a like-for-like replacement, and his 8.62 economy was substantially higher than Marsh's 5.00 in 2016, but he has bagged 29 wickets in 20 IPL matches, so he should make for a strong addition, and along with Stokes he can help Pune enjoy a more successful season, starting with a win over Mumbai.
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