It has been less than a week since the curtain came down on cricket's biggest showpiece. The Indian media and fans are still celebrating MS Dhoni's piece de resistance and the parties are yet to die down.
Still, it is time to move on. Curtains will go up today on cricket's biggest carnival, the riveting Indian Premier League (IPL), with Dhoni leading his defending champions Chennai Super Kings out against Kolkata Knight Riders.
A lot has changed since the India captain lifted the trophy last year on April 25 in Navi Mumbai.
For one, season four of the IPL boasts two new teams - Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors.
The addition of those sides has necessitated a tweak in the format, though each team will still be playing the same number of league matches (14) as last season.
Each franchise will play home and away against five opponents. Against the remaining four teams, they will play two at home and two away. A random draw was used to decide the modalities.
Season four could have featured just eight teams, or even seven, as the IPL governing council decided to eject Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab for flouting shareholding and ownership norms, and threatened Kochi with disqualification during an off-season that resembled a distressing soap opera.
The legal system came to the aid of the expelled teams and cricket fans must surely be thanking the courts; they will still be treated to Shane Warne's wizardry at Rajasthan Royals, awe at Shaun Tait's fearsome pace and admire Shane Watson's belligerence.
At Kings XI, hope will be renewed with the arrival of Adam Gilchrist, who captained Deccan Chargers to the title in season two and the semi-finals last year.
The Chargers finished bottom in the first season, a position that Kings XI occupied last year, and Gilchrist is hoping he can script a similar turnaround with his new team.
"I really enjoyed my time with Deccan and forged some really good friendships there," said the former Australia star. "We had a successful time obviously; we won the title once and got to the semis last year.
"So that was a big turnaround for me [from season one], and that's what I am hoping to replicate at Kings XI. Obviously it was a frustrating year last year for Kings XI, so hopefully with a new-look outfit, we can turn around the fortunes."
Gilchrist can obviously take some confidence from the return of Shaun Marsh, Kings XI's hero of season one. The Australian missed most of season two and three due to injury and international commitments, but he is back and eager to help the team seek redemption.
"I have really enjoyed playing cricket over in India," Marsh said. "Playing for Kings XI is a huge honour and I will be trying my best to get out there again, perform really well and get the team into the semi-finals, and hopefully the final.
"I am looking forward to it. Hopefully, the body holds up. I am confident, we got a pretty good squad assembled and hopefully we can give it a shake this year."
The Kings XI dressing room this season will be very different to what Marsh has been used to.
Punjab, along with the Chargers and Kolkata, decided against retaining any of their players. So Mahela Jayawardene has moved to Kochi, Kumar Sangakkara to the Deccan Chargers; Brett Lee is with Kolkata and Irfan Pathan has gone to Delhi.
Yuvraj Singh, Punjab's biggest star, will be leading Pune this season and Marsh will be go head-to-head against his former teammate in their opening clash on Sunday.
"We got Yuvraj first game, so it will be a bit of fun," said Marsh, promising a bit of chatter when the World Cup's player of the tournament comes out to bat. "He is a fantastic player and we will have to try and get him out nice and early."
Dinesh Karthik will be Marsh's new teammate after spending three seasons with the Delhi Daredevils. The Indian admits all teams will need some time to settle in following the wholesale changes.
"As an individual, you need to settle in," Karthik said. "But the key to the IPL is settling in pretty quickly so that you kind of get acclimatised, get the hang of the players. So it's going to be a very interesting stint with the team.
"Kings XI had a bit of a rough year, but you've got to give it to them. They've held on to the whole thing, they've picked a good team and this year is going to be interesting for us."
Marsh shares the same view about the changes. "There's a lot of players changing within the team," he said. "I guess it's going to take a little bit of time to get used to it now. We are playing with different players and it's going to be very interesting.
"It's going to be a lot of fun as well - you get to play with different players, international players, and you get to learn. I am very lucky, very fortunate to play with Gilly [Gilchrist] and hopefully I can get out there and bat with him a few times, and get ourselves off to a good start.
"He is one of the best ever. To be able to play with him, towards the end of his career, it's going to be huge honour for me. Certainly, I will learn a lot from him."
Due to the addition of two new teams fresh auctions were held in January with the existing eight franchises getting the option of retaining a maximum of four players, but at a heavy price. Holding four players would mean a reduction of US$4.5million (Dh16.5m) from the total purchasing budget of $9m for each team.
Only Mumbai Indians (Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga) and Chennai Super Kings (Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay and Albie Morkel) - the two finalists of last year - chose to retain four players.
Rajasthan Royals held on to two (Shane Warne and Shane Watson), while Delhi (Virender Sehwag) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (Virat Kohli) chose one apiece.
The fans are also the main reason for Gilchrist's displeasure over the fresh auctions.
"I am a big believer in a little bit of loyalty - loyalty to fans as much as anything. There were some relationships being forged there through that first three-year period," he said.
"Chennai have been the only team that really targeted getting the players that they had back and that could prove to be a very shrewd move on their behalf."
With Dhoni at their helm, you could expect nothing less from the Super Kings, who wear the Champions League crown as well. "Captain Cool" might just keep the celebrations going in Chennai till May end.
WITHIN%20SAND
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The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
Switching%20sides
%3Cp%3EMahika%20Gaur%20is%20the%20latest%20Dubai-raised%20athlete%20to%20attain%20top%20honours%20with%20another%20country.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVelimir%20Stjepanovic%20(Serbia%2C%20swimming)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20raised%20in%20Dubai%2C%20he%20finished%20sixth%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%202012%20Olympic%20Games%20in%20London%20in%20the%20200m%20butterfly%20final.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJonny%20Macdonald%20(Scotland%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBrought%20up%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20represented%20the%20region%20in%20international%20rugby.%20When%20the%20Arabian%20Gulf%20team%20was%20broken%20up%20into%20its%20constituent%20nations%2C%20he%20opted%20to%20play%20for%20Scotland%20instead%2C%20and%20went%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20daughter%20of%20an%20English%20mother%20and%20Emirati%20father%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20in%20Dubai%2C%20then%20after%20attending%20university%20in%20the%20UK%20played%20for%20England%20at%20sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RESULTS
6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko
7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara
9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Results
1.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Al Suhooj, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2pm Handicap (TB) 68,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly
4pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adil%20El%20Arbi%20and%20Bilall%20Fallah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWill%20Smith%2C%20Martin%20Lawrence%2C%20Joe%20Pantoliano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
