The Covid-19 pandemic continues to present unexpected challenges for IPL. If you were moving out of India and playing biosecurity bubbles in 2020, now it’s a departure from locals for all franchises. For the first time in the tournament in India, IPL 2021 will not have a single team playing a game on their home turf, not even in the playoffs. Most IPL teams have developed specific squad compositions keeping in mind that they play seven games in a familiar venue each season, but now all of those plans will have to be revised. The teams will also play several games in a row in the same place, another first. Here’s a breakdown of each team’s schedule, how not playing at home could affect them, and what they need to do to counter that.
Super Kings of Chennai
Five games in Mumbai – April 10-25
Four games in Delhi – April 28 – May 7
Three games in Bangalore – May 9-16
Two games in Calcutta: May 21 and 23
Of all the teams in the IPL, the Super Kings have used home advantage to the best effect. They have built a squad that will win, most of the time, in Chepauk, with spinners and crafty fast throwers who know how to exploit the surface. When they played in neutral venues in the UAE, it affected the Super Kings’ style of play. In 2019, its spinners took 62 plots at an average of 19.66 and an economy of 6.76. In 2020, its spinners took only 20 plots with an average of 40.15 and an economy of 8.51. The Super Kings are playing ten games in venues that are very batting friendly and tough on spinners. The average economy rate for spinners in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in Q20 since 2018 is close to 8.0 per over, and the average first inning score is 175. If the MS Dhoni team has to improve on the performance of the last season, they must adapt and find alternative ways to win. Playing more than half of his games in Mumbai and Bangalore also means that his hitting strategy might need adjustments, with an emphasis on going hard earlier because a total in the region of 160 probably won’t be enough there.
Capitals of Delhi
Three games in Mumbai: April 10-18
Two games in Chennai: April 20 and 25
Four games in Ahmedabad – April 27 – May 8
Five games in Kolkata – May 11-23
The Capitals have a core of players who are well prepared to take advantage of a variety of conditions, but they may have liked a few more games in Chennai considering they have a strong spin attack, with R Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel. Given that their remaining games are in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata, the Chennai games are likely the only ones that they can consider going into with all three spinners, and they will have to rely on their fast bowlers for the remainder of the tournament. Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada started off with a lot of fire at IPL 2020, but they declined towards the end. Managing their workloads is something the Capitals will have to pay close attention to, given their five games in Kolkata at the end, the place that has the best strike rate for fast bowlers, 18.5 (none of the others have strike rates below 20) in all Q20s since 2018. Capitals may need to keep their focus fluid: start with the dynamism of hitting in Mumbai, put spinners in play in Chennai, get a mix of everything in Ahmedabad with a batting tilt and finish with speed bowling to the head in Kolkata. An interesting challenge awaits the new captain Rishabh Pant.
Kolkata Knights Riders
Three matches in Chennai: April 11-18
Two games in Mumbai – April 21, 24
Four games in Ahmedabad – April 26 – May 8
Five games in Bangalore – May 10-21
The Knight Riders will play most of their games in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. With Eoin Morgan as captain, they are likely to follow a similar strategy to England in white ball cricket. The venues they are playing match very well with a philosophy of focusing on the six hits as well. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with its short boundaries, has proven to be a happy hunting ground for KKR, who have won five of their last six matches there. As for Ahmedabad, Morgan just led England in five T20Is at the new stadium, which should bode well in terms of tactics and familiarity. What Knight Riders will miss out on are the useful conditions for rhythm bowlers offered by Eden Gardens. The likes of Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, and Prasidh Krishna may not have the same bounce and load in Bangalore or Ahmedabad. So while their hitting seems tidy for the conditions they will face, they may want to develop alternative bowling plans and combinations.
Mumbai Indians
Five games in Chennai – April 9-23
Four games in Delhi – April 29 – May 8
Three games in Bangalore – May 10-16
Two games in Calcutta: May 20 and 23
The Mumbai Indians might have turned their hometown into a fortress, but they haven’t become the most successful team in the IPL by winning alone at home. Mumbai has the most bases covered for wherever you are. At first glance, five straight games in Chennai to begin with may seem to work against him, given Chepauk’s famous surface and Mumbai spinning bowls’ relative lack of firepower, compared to his batting and pacing lineup. But the record says different: Mumbai has really enjoyed playing at Chepauk, and their last loss at the venue was in 2011. They have beaten the Chennai Super Kings in their own lair five times in a row, since 2012 and including two wins in 2019. So While it cannot be denied that the team finds something extra when they play at home, the quality and depth on the side suggests that the changed schedules will affect them less. They finish their campaign with three games in Bangalore, followed by two in Kolkata, which could be an ideal way to fine-tune their hitting and bowling rhythm with an eye toward knockouts.
Kings of Punjab
Three games in Mumbai – April 12-18
Two games in Chennai – April 21 and 23
Four games in Ahmedabad – April 26 – May 6
Five games in Bangalore – May 9-22
The Punjab Kings have never consistently had a home to home; in previous seasons, they have played in Pune and Indore in addition to Mohali. Playing in neutral venues is not new to them. Most importantly, this time around, however, eight of his games will be played in places that are more suited to hitting limits than others. For a Kings hitting lineup shooting all cylinders, that suits them fine. They start their campaign in Mumbai and finish in Bangalore, giving them the opportunity for both a strong start and a solid finish. In Mumbai and Bangalore, a limit is hit every five balls, while the figure for Chennai and Ahmedabad is around seven balls. The likes of Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Chris Gayle are well placed to make use of the smaller limits. From a bowling perspective, the Kings have invested in fast bowling and swing over 140km / h that could use the conditions in Mumbai and Ahmedabad effectively, with fast pitchers hitting once every 20 balls at these two venues. . In general, the Kings don’t need to play with their tactics or focus, because the new schedule could work better for them than traditional back-and-forth games.
Royals of Rajasthan
Five games in Mumbai – April 12-24
Four games in Delhi – April 29 – May 8
Three games in Calcutta – May 11-16
Two games in Bangalore – May 18, 22
In past IPLs, every time the Royals played in Jaipur, they found something extra, leading to Sawai Mansingh Stadium being labeled their strength. From the IPL of 2008 to 2013, they won 29 of the 38 games at the venue. They subsequently did not play there for four years for a variety of reasons, before returning in 2018, but it was not the same: Since then, they have won eight and lost six matches at the venue. They will start their campaign in the batting-friendly surroundings of Mumbai, where paced bowlers have also found some nip early on. But the Royals will be left without their main weapon, Jofra Archer, so it will be a rough start for them. Archer is expected to miss at least the first four games, and possibly more, leaving only Chris Morris to lead the attack. The Royals start with five games in Mumbai and move to Delhi for four games, marking a shift in bowling strategy from pace to turn, as Delhi is the second most favorable location for spinners after Chennai, with an effect economy rate of 7.15 and a turn. impact rate of 21.6. The Royals could struggle with bowling in Delhi as well, as their spin contingent lacks the pedigree and depth of the other sides. The change in round-trip format times, coupled with Archer’s injury, could affect the Royals more than most others.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Three matches in Chennai: April 9-18
Two games in Mumbai: April 22 and 25
Four games in Ahmedabad – April 27 – May 6
Five games in Kolkata: May 9-23
The friendly batting conditions at Chinnaswamy Stadium have meant that Royal Challengers bowlers have never had the kind of impact their batters had in seasons past. However, last year bowlers played an important role, reveling in the larger grounds of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This time, they will have to find a way to make the most of the venues and their resources. His final stretch is in Kolkata, which his hitters could enjoy. Ahmedabad and Chennai are relatively difficult places to hit, with average first-inning scores of around 155, while Mumbai and Kolkata are closer to 170. As with Morgan and KKR, Virat Kohli’s familiarity with the stadium Ahmedabad after leading India in the T20I series should offer the Royal Challengers some tactical nous. In general, they don’t have to change their tactics too much, aside from choosing the appropriate bowling combinations depending on the venues.
Hyderabad sunrises
Five games in Chennai – April 11-25
Four games in Delhi – April 28 – May 7
Three games in Calcutta – May 9-17
Two games in Bangalore – May 19, 21
With one of the best attacks in the league, the Sunrisers rely on their bowlers to win games. They have some hitting power on top, but bowling has always been their strongest stick. Their first nine games will be played in Chennai and Delhi. Both places are favorable for effects. In the past three years, spinning bowlers have had 6.3 and 7.1 runs over there, while the average first-inning scores have been 156 and 160 respectively. This suits the Sunrisers’ style of play as they have excellent effects players in David Warner, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow, and three top tier T20 spinners in Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. If pitches slow down, SRH could have a successful first half without altering his strategy too much.
Gaurav Sundararaman is a Senior Statistics Analyst at ESPNcricinfo. Saurabh Somani is assistant editor
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