The Indian T20 League is going to be pretty different this time in terms of playing dynamics as the tournament is going to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The conditions in UAE are pretty different as compared to India and the grounds there have traditionally favoured bowlers. So batting is going to be a bit tougher on tracks which are a bit sluggish and scoring boundaries won't be easy either considering the big dimensions of the grounds. But there are players who are capable of handling these conditions and here we take a look at some of them.
Glenn Maxwell (Punjab)
The Australia international has a very good batting record in UAE. In a total of 12 innings in these conditions, Maxwell has amassed 424 runs at an average of 35.33 and a high strike-rate of 166.93.
In fact, he was the highest run-getter in the UAE phase of the Indian T20 League 2014. The swashbuckling batsman had scored 300 runs in five innings back then, at a sensational average and strike-rate of 60 and 201.34 respectively.
Maxwell is mostly expected to bat at No. 4 or 5 for Punjab in this edition of the Indian T20 League. The management will want him to play the role of an aggressor in the middle overs and bowlers will find it pretty tough to stop him, considering his unorthodox style of play.
David Warner (Hyderabad)
Warner has been the best batsman in the Indian T20 League since the last few years. Nobody has scored more runs than him in the tournament since 2016. He bats at the top of the order for Hyderabad and looks to bat out full 20 overs for his side. The best thing about his batting is the swift rate at which he scores despite looking to save his wicket till the end. He is like a beast in run chases and is very calculated in his approach.
He has an excellent record in UAE as well. Warner has scored a total of 328 runs in nine innings in these conditions, at an excellent average of 46.86 and a decent strike-rate of 125.19. These runs include four knocks of fifty or more as well, and that sums up how good he can be in these conditions.
Kieron Pollard (Mumbai)
The Caribbean batsman has been a great asset for Mumbai over the years. He has done an excellent job as a finisher for the franchise year after year and will be eager to do the same in this edition as well.
Pollard is highly experienced as far as playing in the UAE is concerned. In a total of 34 innings in the country, he has amassed 725 runs at an average of 34.52 runs per dismissal. He has maintained a high strike-rate of 149.79 while scoring these runs as well. Moreover, the 33-year-old is coming into this edition of the Indian T20 League on the back of a successful run in the Caribbean Premier League as well.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Money Sharma
