The second phase of Indian Premier League is all set to begin from 19 September at the UAE and the preparations for the big event are at full swing with teams reaching the country well ahead of time from the mega tournament.
While the first half of IPL 2021 was played in India, the tournament was suspended due to several reasons and one being the reported cases of Covid-19 inside IPL's bio-bubble.
Former India opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has opined that the defending champions Mumbai Indians may benefit from the break.
"See again, Mumbai probably will be having that advantage, because first, they’ve won it last time in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in UAE, well, and they’re going back to the same place and they’re 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), it’s pretty difficult for them to qualify or for that matter, even Punjab Kings. But if you ask me one franchise who’s going to have an advantage with this break, is Mumbai Indians," Gambhir said on Star Sports' show Game Plan.
Mumbai Indians are presently positioned at the fourth place with four wins from seven matches played.
Gambhir went on to say that teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who performed well in the first half of the tournament, can afford to lose some matches in UAE.
"From CSK & RCB’s point of view, I think they’ve gotten themselves into a position where they can actually afford to lose a couple of games. So, that’s the reason why I said that Punjab Kings can’t afford to do that, KKR can’t afford to do that. Sunrisers can’t afford to lose a single game if they want to qualify for the playoff, and that’s the reason why they probably will still have an advantage, especially CSK and RCB, because they’ve brought themselves up to that position," he added.