IPL 2021: Players look for rhythm in World Cup year

Mumbai - The absence of home matches could have serious ramifications

The 2021 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starts on Friday but it’s accompanied by trepidations about the likely impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the tournament. India is currently reeling under a surge of Covid cases across the country, and concerns have been voiced whether the league should have been held at all.

Any breach of health safety protocols could bring IPL21 crashing down. Not too long back, the Pakistan Super League had to be suspended because of laxity in managing the health protocol, causing huge loss of money to the country, as well as loss of face.

To prevent similar disaster, the BCCI will have to apply standard operating procedures for health safety with utmost stringency. The 2020 season, played in the UAE less than six months back, went off without a hitch thanks to an uncompromising approach.

This is what the BCCI, players, franchise owners, support staff, broadcasters, vendors et all will have to adhere to if the tournament has to be successful. It’s a tough assignment, but not impossible, as IPL2020 showed. And vitally important, not just for cricket, but for live sport anywhere in the world in these hard times.

What does it mean for players?

There are benefits as well as hardships. The fact that the IPL is being staged is in itself a boon. This ensures occupation and livelihood. Skills are best maintained and improved upon in a competitive environment.

This is also the year in which the T20 World Cup is to be played, which makes it terribly important for players to be in rhythm and form. The monetary rewards from the IPL are handsome to say the least, which keeps the home fires burning when the less fortunate are finding themselves without income for long periods of time.

These advantages come with a price, of course. Living in a bio-secure bubble for weeks on end can be physically limiting and psychologically intimidating. Several players have voiced their concerns about life in the `bubble’ and some have opted out of assignments, or been given this facility by their boards, as happened with the English team. IPL 2021 will be played over six weeks. But each day will be demanding. Only the mentally tough will be able to cope.

What does change in format hold for the teams?

Because of constraints on travel etc imposed by the pandemic, the home and away matches concept had been removed this season. In its place is the `caravan’ system where teams stay put at one bio-secured venue (six overall) for a length of time, before moving on to the next.

This has removed `home’ advantage teams enjoy in such competitions. This could cause major upheavals, more so considering that franchises chose players and built squads based on 50 per cent of matches being played at home, where pitches could be prepared to suit them.

The absence of home matches could have serious ramifications.

In the UAE last season, for instance, CSK flopped since their squad had been chosen on the premise of playing seven matches at the Chepauk. The pandemic queered the pitch, as it were, and highly-fancied CSK became laggards.

Ashwin’s case is piquant. Dumped from the Indian team in white ball cricket four years back, the off-spinner has hit such a purple patch this season, albeit in the five-day format, that he has forced himself into the reckoning for ODIs and T20s. A successful IPL season, plenty of wickets with good economy rate, could see him back in favour.