Key Takeaways
COVID-19 has forced the tournament to UAE, where teams will be playing on only 3 pitches. This should bring out a fresh take on the tournament.
Lot of younger players in the tournament this year. It will be interesting to see how they will adapt to the new pitches. They will also get to play with international caliber players like AB De Villiers, Shane Watson, & Dwayne Bravo.
This year’s IPL should shake up the strategies of established teams with the change in location. As most matches will not happen in the home grounds of teams, this should give a chance for lesser established teams to come to the forefront.
Intro
Srivatsa Subbanna - Host
Mahek Vyas - Cricket Enthusiast
Abhishek Paul - Cricket Enthusiast
Impact of IPL on Indian Culture & World Cricket
Mahek - “The IPL audience is very different from the traditional cricket audience. And you see this in terms of the participation of young children & women as well.”
Even if players don’t get a chance to play in India’s 11, they have a chance to be household names and heroes through their performance in IPL.
IPL provides a great chance for exposing young players to tough opposition and world-class competition on one of the biggest platforms in the world.
The tournament increases the level of camaraderie across international cricketers. Srivatsa - “I think you know that international cricket is not as hostile as it used to be and players are like they smile a lot more”
Secret of Success Of The Most Successful Teams
Three very successful teams to keep an eye out for - Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders. Each of these teams also has a key strategy that works for their team composition and their strengths.
CSK - Dhoni, Raina, and Jadeja form the Indian core of the team. They have also held on to consistent foreign players like Bravo and Shane Watson.
Mumbai Indians - Rohit Sharma, Bumrah, & the Pandya brothers, along with foreign players like Pollard and Malinga form MI’s attack.
Kolkata Knight Riders - Sunil Narine and Andre Russell make up the core of the attack for this team, and the team usually relies on the strategy of playing on slowish pitches like Eden to play to their strengths of spin bowlers.
CSK and MI have amazing batting depth, and tend to dominate the end overs in both innings. All 3 teams tend to dominate games at home, as this will mostly ensure them a place in the playoffs.
Chennai and Mumbai excel at man management, with the former crediting Dhoni for it and the latter crediting their coaching staff. To know more, watch this snippet.
Players To Watch Out For
Mahek - Younger players: Shubman Gill (KKR) & Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR). Established players: Kieron Pollard (MI) & Rashid Khan (SRH)
Abhishek - Younger players: Vijay Shankar (SRH) & Shivam Dube (RCB). Established players: Nicholas Pooran (KXIP) & Kagiso Rabada (DC)
Srivatsa - Younger players: Prithvi Shaw (DC) & Shubman Gill (KKR). Established players: Ravindra Jadeja (CSK) Chris Lynn (MI).
Top Teams To Keep An Eye On
Mahek - “Unfortunately, Chennai Super Kings.”
Abhishek - Sunrisers Hyderabad. DC, MI, & CSK
Srivatsa - Chennai Super Kings, SRH, DC, and either Mumbai or KKR.
Who Will Finish At The Bottom
Srivatsa - KXIP, due to lack of clear leadership in the team and too much pressure on K.L. Rahul.
Mahek - KXIP, as they don’t have enough to challenge for the title. They run out of gas in the middle of the season, and Pooran ends up becoming the keeper if K.L. Rahul relinquishes the gloves.
Abhishek - KXIP, as they are “ a team that will finish between 5th to 8th, more likely 7th or 8th.”
Things To Look Forward To This Year
Abhishek - Looking forward to watching IPL from the beginning as COVID-19 has left him starved of cricket. “ I'm looking forward to seeing how some of the younger Indian players do”, and Delhi Capitals with “particular interest”.
Mahek - The tournament is behind a paywall this year, which should make for some interesting views on digital consumption.
Srivatsa - “Looking forward to watching some Indian talent come through, especially with the T20 World Cup next year.”