IPL 2021: Gautam Gambhir reveals why Mumbai Indians have advantage over others in UAE leg

The second half of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will resume on September 19 in the UAE. The eight teams have begun preparations for the same and are looking to finalize their plans and strategy. Mumbai Indians were one of the few teams to have reached Dubai early. The defending champions will be gunning for a rare three-peat in this year’s IPL.

After a slow start, the five-time IPL champions managed to win games in the latter stages of the first half of the IPL 2021 and are currently placed fourth on the points table.

In the 13th edition of the IPL, Mumbai Indians put on a dominating performance in the UAE and managed to beat each team by convincing margins. Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir is supporting Mumbai Indians and feels the conditions will suit their style of play.

“They’ve played in conditions that are completely different to where they normally play in. When you see the conditions in Chepauk or Delhi, they are completely different from what you get at Wankhede. And, as I mentioned, they are going into conditions that are suited to their fast bowling – people like Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.

“There will be swing upfront, so they will be very dangerous. Plus, Mumbai wants balls to swing, and you’ve got quality fast bowlers and it’s going to be an advantage for them. Plus, their batters want the balls to come on to the bat as well, people like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, all those guys struggled at Chepauk because it was gripping and turning,” he said on Star Sports’ show Game Plan.

Mumbai Indians will have an advantage: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir further opined that the five-time IPL champions won’t have troubles as such in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah pitches owing to their familiarity last year. However, the former India batter stated that Mumbai Indians cannot afford to slip anymore owing to their slow start earlier this season.

“They are not going to struggle once they start playing in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. So, that’s the reason why I would feel Mumbai Indians will have an advantage; they can’t afford slow starter anymore, because they have seven games to go and they might have to win 5 matches to qualify, so they can’t afford to be in that situation, where they have to win five out of five,” Gambhir said.

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