IPL 2021: 3 Teams Who Will Have Disadvantage With Second Phase Being Shifted To The UAE
Updated - 27 Nov 2023, 04:28 PM
With the BCCI announcing the second phase of IPL 2021 is set to move to the UAE, several franchises are in a fix. The pandemic might have forced the BCCI to postpone the cash-rich league indefinitely; however, they pulled all the stops and arranged to resume it in the UAE. As for the overseas players, they might be unlikely to participate in the second leg, but the board has the power to bring them.
Nevertheless, with the tournament’s caravan shifting to the UAE, not all teams might have an advantage. For instance, Mumbai Indians might be licking their lips after enduring a mediocre season in India as UAE was the venue where Rohit Sharma’s men sealed their fifth crown. However, there would be a few franchises not impressed by the decision.
We take a look at three teams who Will Have Disadvantage With IPL 2021 Being Shifted To The UAE:
Rajasthan Royals:
Rajasthan Royals, who have won three out of seven games in IPL 2021, are one of the few franchises which is massively reliant on their overseas contingent. With Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Liam Livingstone, and Mushtafizur Rahman likely to miss the UAE leg, it would be far from easy to deliver some compelling performances. With the aforementioned names likely to skip the remaining season, it would be more than a mammoth task to finish high on the points table.
The UAE has not been a kind venue to the Royals either, as witnessed in the 2020 edition. Even though their present skipper Sanju Samson was their highest run-getter last time, he struggled in crucial games. With plenty of key players set to miss the season, the keeper-batsman will have a lot more pressure on his shoulders.
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Kolkata Knight Riders were the second-most underperforming franchise as they registered only two wins out of seven matches. Kolkata Knight Riders’ promising batting line-up kept struggling to fire after the first game, with the captain performing most poorly of the lot. Eoin Morgan just could not get going in this year’s tournament, managing only 92 runs in seven games at 15.33, with a strike rate of 112.20.
In Eoin Morgan’s absence for the UAE leg, it also remains uncertain who will lead the franchise as no player has had reached the potential in IPL 2021. Aside from Morgan, the likeliness of Pat Cummins, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert skipping the tournament will hit them hard too.
SunRisers Hyderabad:
SunRisers Hyderabad could not produce the kind of cricket they are known for as they managed only one victory out of seven matches. The Orange Army’s much-vaunted bowling unit leaked runs heavily, while their middle-order cost them at least a couple of wins when they should have got home comfortably. As a result, they are languishing at the bottom of the table.
The captaincy change from David Warner to Kane Williamson perhaps came by force. Expectedly, it did not solve anything as the Kiwi captain’s stint restarted with another crushing loss and their sixth defeat in the 14th edition. While they performed well in the UAE last year, the road ahead undeniably seems choppy for the Orange Army as they need to win all their matches to progress to the playoffs. Moreover, the possibility of Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, David Warner missing the UAE leg of IPL 2021 makes them further vulnerable.
Tagged:
IPL 2021 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Rajasthan Royals (RR) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)