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The Board for Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Saturday, confirmed that the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) will be held in the UAE, most probably in September-October this year.
IPL 2021 was suspended earlier this month after multiple cases of COVID-19 emerged in the bio-bubble. The decision to shift the cash-rich T20 league to the UAE was taken at a special general body (SGM) meeting held virtually by the Indian cricket board.
A BCCI press release informed that the move was made keeping the monsoon season, which usually stretches between June and early October in India, in mind. The media release stated:
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced to complete the remaining matches of VIVO Indian Premier League 2021 season in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) considering the monsoon season in India in the months of September-October this year."
IPL 2021 in UAE: What’s good about it
With the IPL 2021 having been officially shifted to the UAE, we look at three reasons why the move is a good one.
#1 Safety wise, it seems the best option
IPL 2021 in India was always fraught with danger, considering the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country per day. It was almost a miracle that 29 matches were completed in the edition before the bio-bubble was breached. Once that happened, there was no way the tournament could go ahead.
As for the UAE, they have the experience of safely conducting IPL 2020 without any hassles. In fact, they were on standby for IPL 2021 as well before the BCCI took a massive chance by deciding to organize the event in India. Taking all factors into consideration, it is definitely safer to resume IPL 2021 in the UAE.
#2 Players will feel more secure as compared to India
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey, on returning to Australia from India after his battle with COVID-19, opined that teams will be wary to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in October-November. The same logic applies to IPL 2021 as well.
Had the BCCI decided to resume IPL 2021 in India, many players would have been apprehensive of coming back to the country in the wake of what they experienced during the first half of the tournament.
A few players have spoken in hushed tones that they felt more secure in the UAE bio-bubble as compared to the Indian one. There will be no point in organizing a tournament when the participants themselves are scarred.
Hence, the UAE shift for IPL 2021 is a sensible move.
#3 Much-needed preparation for T20 World Cup
While no decision has been made yet on the 2021 T20 World Cup, the BCCI has agreed to keep the UAE as a backup venue for the mega event later in the year.
If at all the BCCI wanted to resume IPL 2021 in India, they would have had to wait unit the end of the year, which would have meant the T20 league would be held after the T20 World Cup. This would have made little sense.
Most international teams are looking at IPL 2021 as a build-up to the T20 World Cup. So irrespective of where the World Cup will be held, the remainder of the IPL in the UAE will give these sides a chance to prepare for the mega event.
3 reasons why IPL 2021 in the UAE might not be exciting
While organizing the remainder of IPL 2021 is undoubtedly the right move, here are a few reasons why the tournament being held outside India might not be as enticing.
#1 Indian flavor would be missing
At the end of the day, the IPL is the Indian Premier League and the Indian flavor to the tournament would definitely be missing in the UAE. With or without crowds, playing in India is a different experience.
The Indian players and fans will always prefer the tournament to be held in India. Unfortunately, under the present circumstances that will not be possible, so everybody will have to accommodate the makeshift experience.
#2 Lack of variety in pitches
In India, the soil and conditions have a massive impact on games, even in the T20 format. In the first half of IPL 2021, we saw how batsmen found it tougher to play in Chennai as opposed to Mumbai, which had plenty of runs on offer.
This will not be the case in the UAE. Since all the venues are close by and the conditions too are similar, the pitches lack variety. The surfaces are traditionally dry and dusty.
The average T20 score batting first at all three venues in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah) is in the region of 150 and chasing sides have a significant advantage.
#3 Danger of too many one-sided games
Carrying on from the above point, IPL 2021 in the UAE faces the danger of monotony and too many one-sided games. If we glance through the scorecards of IPL 2020, it can be observed that apart from the four tied encounters that were decided in the Super Over, most of the games were one-sided.
There were as many as three 10-wicket routs, while two games were won by nine-wicket margins. Eight matches produced eight-wicket wins. Even when teams batting first in IPL 2020 won, the margin of victory was often more than 40 runs.
The IPL 2020 final in Dubai too was a one-sided encounter, in which the Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated the Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets.
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