Examining how the UAE pitches influence the 2020 IPL

The entire T20 tournament will take place in the UAE

As opposed to staging its star-studded contests across the states of its native land, the Indian Premier League will be taking place in three stadiums of the United Arab Emirates in 2020. The entire T20 tournament will take place in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, and Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. 

The wickets, the turf, and the climate are all going to be different from the usual settings of the IPL, removing advantages from some, but revealing newfound opportunities to others. Having staged many tests and ODI matches, as well as the teams having had plenty of time to size up the grounds, there’s a consensus of how the UAE pitches will influence the teams competing in the 2020 IPL.

The eradication of home team advantage

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Running through some of the details about the grounds in the UAE, PR Viswanathan says that some 70 matches will be staged in the three stadiums. With the harsh Middle-Eastern weather, the high levels of clay in the soil, and the dust accumulation, creating a hard wicket is tough, and rarely results in scores of 200-plus.

When the Pakistan Super League went two years ago, there wasn’t a single 200-plus score, and the 2014 IPL saw a mere two totals of that size, both in the same game. In the IPL last year, which saw the top three teams finish with a 9-5 record, the others finish with eight losses, 11 innings witnessed over 200 runs - four of which came from the Kolkata Knight Riders, and another three from Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Every team tries to push their home ground advantage, working through the auction to cultivate a team finely-tuned to win each of their seven home games, as shown by the eccentric scoring of KKR and RCB. This year, game-day strategy and selection will be key, which is why those seeking more information on cricket betting often look to the live betting tips, as fans won’t have the same tells of home ground advantage to play off of pre-match.

A spinner’s paradise to the west

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The overall consensus is that the opening matches will be reasonably friendly to the batsmen, with the Sheikh Zayed Stadium notably cited as being friendly to batters, with cracks arriving rather late in games. However, the opening matches look set to play very differently to the final, or even the early-middle fixtures. With so many matches and such intense weather, the pitches will wear down quickly.

Washington Sundar, spinner for RCB, has already praised the pitches out West for the assistance that they’re already providing for spinners. He says that once the tournament gets underway, spinners will be able to press an advantage, but that the heat will offer even more assistance to spinners by the midsection of the IPL. Yet, it is unavoidable that, despite the strategies being drawn, uncertainty remains, and 2020 is likely to be an especially memorable year for cricket. 

There seems to be a lot stacking up against batsmen in the UAE, especially as the IPL progresses, one of the grounds does offer a distinct advantage if all grounds are played to their regular sizes. The stadiums in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are large and offer fielding advantages but Sharjah’s arena is much tighter, allowing the more explosive batsmen to tee-off when bowlers miss their mark.

With home advantage all-but dissipated and the pitches set to be worn down quickly, the teams best-equipped to handle the changing UAE conditions will surely rise to the top of the league.