IPL 2021 Shouldn’t Be Held In England In September Because It Will Rain A Lot - Monty Panesar Says English Weather Will 'Spoil The Fun' 

Former England spinner Monty Panesar opines that the remainder of the IPL 2021 shouldn’t be conducted in England as it will rain aplenty during September which will ‘spoil the fun’ of the tournament.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended the IPL 2021 in early May, with 29 of the 60 matches completed, following the covid-19 outbreak in four franchises. All the players were sent back to their homes, and the tournament was deferred for later.

Now, to complete the remaining 31 matches. the BCCI is eyeing the September-October window – sandwiched between the conclusion of India’s Test series with England, scheduled till Spetember 14, and the start of the T20 World Cup, slated for mid-October.

The board has called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) on May 29, and is expected to announce its decision. While UAE stands as a firm favorite for hosting the tourment, having done it successfully last year, the board may also mull over taking it to England for the first time. Earlier, the English counties had offered their grounds to conduct the truncated IPL 2021.

You will see an important T20 match get reduced to 15 overs and then 10 overs: Monty Panesar

Monty Panesar reckons England observes an excessive downpour in the month of September, more than usual. Hence, if the BCCI stages the season there, the matches will get delayed and shortened, which would harm the brand of the IPL.

Monty Panesar says the scoring in the last 5 over of a T20 invokes excitement amongst fans, and that could be short-lived if matches get curtailed due to the English weather. He asserts that the UAE is the best option for the BCCI away from home.

“IPL shouldn’t be held in England in September because it will rain a lot there. Too many intervals will spoil the fun. If India are not able to control the pandemic, it should be held in UAE because weather conditions play a huge factor.

“When it rains in England, it plays spoilsport. You will see an important T20 match get reduced to 15 overs and then 10 overs. We don’t want that to happen with IPL because the brand will take a hit,” Monty Panesar told a YouTube channel ‘Sports Yaari’.

“IPL’s brand is about completed games which are very exciting. 15th to 20th over are high scoring and the most exciting, it won’t be fun [if it rains and overs are reduced]. Authorities should take weather into account while deciding fixtures. The weather in UAE is great,” he further added.

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