IPL 2021: Why Monty Panesar feels England should not host the tournament
Monty Panesar is against holding the remainder of the IPL 2021 in England. The former spinner argued that September in the UK sees a lot of rainfall which will play spoilsport in the opulent tournament.
IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely after multiple COVID-19 cases breached its bio-secure bubble. Subsequently, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed that the tournament won't be concluded in India. England and the UAE have emerged as the frontrunners for reserve venues.
Although a date for resumption is yet to be confirmed, some BCCI officials have hinted that they are looking towards the September window, just ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Monty Panesar has suggested that the BCCI should stick with the UAE as England's intermittent downpours will 'spoil the fun' of the IPL in September.
“IPL shouldn’t be held in England in September because it will rain a lot there. Too many intervals will spoil the fun. If India are not able to control the pandemic, it should be held in UAE because weather conditions play a huge factor. When it rains in England, it plays spoilsport. You will see an important T20 match get reduced to 15 overs and then 10 overs. We don’t want that to happen with IPL because the brand will take a hit,” Monty Panesar told Sports Yaari, a Youtube channel.
The UAE also hosted the previous edition of the IPL from September-November 2020.
Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021, which was also postponed mid-way due to the pandemic, is set to move to Dubai as well.
Authorities should take the weather into account while deciding fixtures: Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar said the IPL's hallmark is in its 'completed games', which are the most exciting between the 15th and 20th overs.
He advised authorities to consider weather conditions before deciding on itineraries to preserve this trait.
“IPL's brand is about completed games which are very exciting. 15th to 20th over are high scoring and the most exciting, it won't be fun [if it rains and overs are reduced]. Authorities should take weather into account while deciding fixtures. The weather in UAE is great,” the former left-arm spinner added.
31 of the 60 IPL 2021 matches are still left to be played. Apart from arranging new fixtures and venues, the BCCI will also have to manage the workloads of both Indian and overseas players, something which won't be easy in the long run.