IPL 2020: Teams have been left in a fix; should be allowed replacements, feels Sanjay Manjrekar

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that some of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams have been left in a fix, now that the upcoming season is taking place in completely different conditions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a column for Hindustan Times, Manjrekar opined that the IPL franchises picked players in December last year keeping Indian pitches and weather conditions in mind. Some of those signings might prove to be futile for the typically sluggish pitches of the UAE.

“These are your ‘average score of 155’ kind of pitches. In India, in the last two IPLs, the average 1st innings score was about 170. Never has 200 been successfully chased in a T20I in the UAE. So it’s likely that this IPL may be played in third gear. Which means, teams are suddenly looking at themselves and thinking, do we have the arsenal for this kind of challenge? The franchisees picked the squads in December 2019, assuming that matches were going to be played in India,” Manjrekar wrote.

Manjrekar calls for ‘special concession’ for each IPL side

2019 IPL Final - Mumbai Indians won their record fourth IPL title last year.

The former India batsman further went to write that all IPL teams could have been given a ‘special concession’ to make replacements, and call in players who might have been better suited to combat the slow and low UAE pitches.

According to Manjrekar, batsmen will find it difficult to resort to their favourite approach of hitting through the line. And, both finger and wrist spinners will be an integral part of each side.

“For example, KKR packed their team with quicks, letting go of one of their seasoned spinners, Piyush Chawla, as Eden Gardens has become a seam-friendly venue now. How do they deal with the new situation? This is unfortunate for some teams, and I wonder, if as a special concession, franchises could have been allowed to add or replace two players to suit the change of venue,” Manjrekar, who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, added.

IPL 2020 will be played behind closed doors across three venues – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah – starting September 19th, with the final slated for November 10th.