BCCI announced the most-awaited schedule for the resumption of IPL 2021 in the UAE. With 31 games still left to be played, IPL 2021 will begin on September 19 while the Playoffs will start from the 10th of October. The Finals of this edition of the IPL will be held in Dubai on the 15th.
A total of 31 games will be played in 27 days, comprising of 7 double-headers with the afternoon games starting at 3:30 IST and evening games at 7:30 IST. The action will take place in three stadiums across the UAE – Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Much reminiscent of the 2020 edition of the IPL, one can safely expect high-scoring games being played at each of the three venues.
🗓️ The dates are OUT!
Get ready for the #VIVOIPL extravaganza in the UAE 🇦🇪
FULL SCHEDULE 👇 pic.twitter.com/8yUov0CURb
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) July 25, 2021
The first match after resumption will be a blockbuster to be players between the defending champions Mumbai Indians and the current table-toppers Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, the last of the group games will be played between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals.
It would be interesting to see how the conditions behave this time around. The extra-heat in September last year had affected the initial stages of the IPL giving dry belters and absolutely nothing on offer for the bowlers, especially spinners. The players as well will only have a little time to settle and would be eager on making an early statement.
The resumption will also take into consideration the current team standings as it is. The likes of Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore who began well in the original schedule will have a slight edge over the other teams. The evident divide between the top and the bottom-placed team will be one thing to look forward to this season. Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, struggling at the tail-end are expected to win all their remaining matches to qualify – a task easy by absolutely no means.
The availability of foreign players is also a bit of concern as far as the franchises are concerned. With the T20 World Cup hovering just around the corner and international team commitments, players will be tempted to maintain a workload balance and skip the IPL in the process. Having said that, the replacements could mean a welcome change for the lower-placed teams giving the necessary booster.
The IPL 2021 had begun with a bang and had brought smiles back to the faces of Indian fans in the pandemic times. Now, with India beyond two waves of Covid19 cases in the country will once again unite to continue the celebration of this cricketing festival starting September 19th.
