New format, rules, captains: Why IPL 2022 is bigger, better and more exciting

IPL) starting Saturday has become the most evolved cash-rich league, which promises to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before. The two new franchises will add a new flavour to the IPL, which can completely change the dynamics of the league. The RPSG Group has picked Lucknow as their home base with a winning bid of a whopping Rs 7,090 crore, while Irelia Company Pte Ltd (CVC Capital Partners) opted for Ahmedabad with a bid of Rs 5,625 crore. With the addition of the two teams -- Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans -- the organisers decided to conduct a mega auction in order to give equal opportunity to every team to pick players of their choice and build a strong side. And the franchises did exactly that on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru by adding some talented overseas as well as domestic cricketers to their sides. Though there are some noticeable weaknesses in the teams, overall, they have tried to build solid squads. Adding to the excitement, as many as six franchises -- RCB, CSK, KKR, LSG, GT and PBKS -- will have new captains, who have either left their past franchises, or are donning the skipper's hat for the first time.

Read AlsoIPL 2022, CSK vs KKR: CSK's consistency vs KKR's unpredictability first up

It was just about five months ago that these two teams were fighting to become IPL champions. Since then, a mega-auction has happened, both Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have acquired a new look with their cores intact. And now they are back in the cauldron of Wankhede to kickstart a

Only MI, SRH, DC and RR will have captains, who led their respective sides in the previous edition of IPL. The organisers have also introduced some new rules and formats to make the lPL different from