And what is it about Sharjah that teams need to be wary of as the tournament progresses?

All the buzz from the game between MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings and Steven Smith's Rajasthan Royals

Dissecting the key moments from the IPL 2020 opener

The absence of the experienced duo could open up spots for the uncapped Ruturaj Gaikwad and R Sai Kishore

Things haven't gone as per CSK's plans, and conventional wisdom would put them on the back foot, but defying the odds remains Dhoni's forte

While the likes of Pollard and Russell enjoyed fruitful tournaments, others struggled on turning tracks

Pollard's captaincy smarts, some luck at the toss, plenty of big hitting and other factors that helped them to their fourth title triumph

TKR are unbeatean this season but the Zouks are quietly confident of a maiden CPL title

The St Lucia Zouks captain says he's 'closer to retirement than playing more T20 cricket'

Tallawahs do have the resources to surprise, with spinners like Mujeeb and Lamichhane and batsmen like Andre Russell

Finding players to perform the roles these giants did will not be an easy task for their franchises

James Pattinson could make his IPL debut after being named his replacement

He also downplayed Daren Sammy's lack of runs while describing him as an "inspirational figure"

Head coach attributes the team's success to the vast experience and depth in the squad

Manoj Tiwary and Dhruv Shorey line up among the potential fill-in players

He wanted to be the next Brian Lara. He has now become the first bowler to 500 T20 wickets

The West Indies left-armer talks about growing up with his eye on a legend from Jamaica

The CPL, now in its eighth season, has produced some thrillers over the years. These are ten of the best.

The big-hitting New Zealand allrounder is looking to get his blade flashing after a hiatus, at the CPL 2020

ESPNcricinfo picks out seven players for whom this season could mean a big deal