IPL and its tryst with official team names

A very famous English maxim goes like, “What’s in the name?” Honestly, a name can shift continents, can send the world spinning in havoc and most importantly defines the identity of something. Identity is the plinth of existence for an individual or an entity that would remain from the very beginning till the end. You take away someone’s identity and the world slips into chaos.

Similarly, IPL extended its legacy from eight to ten teams in the forthcoming season. As the speculations were garnering traction, the Lucknow management came forth with their name for the upcoming domestic extravaganza. They were christened as the Lucknow Super Giants.

In the wake of the naming fiesta that has been deluging the Indian cricketing roster at the moment, let us quickly take a look at the franchises that have gone through the change of their monikers along the glittering antiquity of the tournament.

1.    Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals

The GMR-owned franchise was initially known as the Delhi Daredevils. They put up a phenomenal show in the opening edition of the tournament only to be ousted in the semi-final. In 2019, the owners wanted the franchise to go through a paradigm shift. They were rechristened as the Delhi Capitals. Ever since they have undergone a name change, things have drastically changed for them and all of it for the better.

2.    Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings

After a decade of contrasting displays across the face of the IPL, Kings XI Punjab that is co-owned by Preity Zinta resorted to their new name, Punjab Kings in 2021. Despite the change of the name, their fortunes are still to show a bright side and their tryst with mediocrity hasn’t really improved over the years.

Miscellaneous

Lucknow isn’t the only Super Giants to have starred in this showpiece event. There was another Super Giant that featured the starry likes of MS Dhoni as their skipper for a season. Even though they were a different franchise altogether, the initial one from Pune that was known by the name of Pune Warriors was owned by Sahara India Pariwar. However, just to keep everyone posted, the second franchise from Pune was named the Rising Pune Super Giants.

Another interesting fact that is not known to a lot of people is the name change of the Mumbai Indians. Initially, the team was planned to be named the Mumbai Razors. The team logo was accordingly planned as a Sudarshan chakra. However, Sachin Tendulkar intervened to change it to Mumbai Indians which was very well received by the cricketing fraternity.