As we inch closer to the second phase of IPL 2021, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir has picked defending champions Mumbai Indians to benefit from the break the most. The second half of the tournament will take place in the UAE, scheduled to commence on September 19 with Mumbai locking horns with three-time champions Chennai Super Kings.
Incidentally, IPL 2021 was postponed on May 4 in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis in the country which also left an impact on the cricketers while a couple of them turned COVID-19 positive.
đđźđŹđ đđ€©đ đ#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #KhelTakaTak #IPL2021 @hardikpandya7 @MXTakaTak MI TV pic.twitter.com/QY2gLs7GY2
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 8, 2021
Speaking on the Star Sports’ show Game Plan, Gautam Gambhir opined that the break could be beneficial for defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), who won the title last year in UAE and will be one of the favourites once again.
“See again, Mumbai probably will be having that advantage, because first, theyâve won it last time in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in UAE, well, and theyâre going back to the same place and theyâre in a position where they can actually finish in the top two as well. If you look at other franchises, especially franchises like KKR or for that matter, even Sunrisers (SRH), itâs pretty difficult for them to qualify or for that matter, even Punjab Kings. But if you ask me one franchise whoâs going to have an advantage with this break, is Mumbai Indians,” Gambhir said.Â
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are currently placed fourth in the points table with eight points from seven matches.
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âI feel like a kid again and I canât wait to play,â says AB de Villiers as he talks about his fan compilation videos people are sending him on Twitter.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 #BoldDiaries pic.twitter.com/60pGDaeMk0
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Adding further, the cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir stated that teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could struggle when IPL 2021 resumes in the UAE. Incidentally, RCB and CSK have fared reasonably well in the first leg occupying the third and second spot respectively.
“From CSK & RCBâs point of view, I think theyâve gotten themselves into a position where they can actually afford to lose a couple of games. So, thatâs the reason why I said that Punjab Kings canât afford to do that, KKR canât afford to do that. Sunrisers canât afford to lose a single game if they want to qualify for the playoff, and thatâs the reason why they probably will still have an advantage, especially CSK and RCB, because theyâve brought themselves up to that position,” he added.
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