IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians will have THIS advantage in UAE says Gautam Gambhir

Former India international Gautam Gambhir believes that five-time champions Mumbai Indians will have an advantage over other teams while playing the second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE. Gambhir on Star Sports Network said Mumbai Indians have a couple of pacers who would like to bowl on UAE pitches given the swing it may offer to their fast bowlers. Gambhir said that the pitches in UAE are suited to Mumbai Indians' fast bowling and that their bowlers would enjoy playing in those conditions, especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 

Gambhir said the pitches in UAE offer a lot of swing, which the Mumbai-based franchise would like to exploit through their battery of fast bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. The 2011 World Cup-winning player further added that Mumbai Indians batsmen would also enjoy playing in the UAE as the balls there come on the bat as well. Gambhir said Mumbai played most of its matches in the first phase of IPL 2021 in Chennai and Delhi, where balls usually tend to grip and turn before coming on to the bat, which troubled a lot of their batters. 

However, Gambhir said, Mumbai Indians players are not going to struggle in UAE, especially when they play in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. The former India opener said that is the reason he believes Mumbai Indians will have an advantage over other teams. Gambhir also said that for Mumbai Indians to succeed in IPL 2021, they must resume their season with a bang rather than starting it slowly in the first couple of games. Gambhir said the Rohit Sharma-led side cannot be in a situation where they have to win five out of five matches to qualify for the playoffs. Mumbai Indians are currently ranked fourth on the points table. 

IPL 2021

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League was postponed after a couple of camps reported the COVID-19 outbreak amongst players and staff members. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) later announced that the remainder of IPL 2021 has moved to the UAE and will be conducted before the start of the upcoming T20 World Cup in October. The IPL 2021 is all set to resume with a blockbuster clash between long-time rivals Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians on September 19. The knockout stage of the competition will be played from October 10 onwards and the final is scheduled to be held on October 15. 

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