10 Things fans will miss in IPL 2020

Five months ago, who would have been able to believe that a deadly, invisible pathogen will appear and wreck the entire world in the most unimaginable ways? To our astonishment, it did arrive and so arrived a new world order. There is nothing left untouched; nothing spared by the ravages of the novel coronavirus.

We all have grown in and shifted towards a “new normal” in these trying times. Grappling with the most unseen issues, coming to terms with the most unbelievable changes. Between social distancing and bio-secure bubbles, between updates of vaccines to cries of testing every day, nothing has stayed the way it was.

And of course, sports has changed too. Much to everyone’s relief, it has resumed, but certainly not in the way it used to be. Speculation that haunted all the cricket aficionados thoroughly until late last month was the cancellation of the mighty Indian Premier League (IPL). In what was the most soothing and comforting news, it was confirmed by the governing council in tandem with the BCCI that IPL will be organized in the UAE instead of India.

Forget a whimper, “Yay”, screamed all the fanatics including yours truly. For what else do we want than a chance to witness our beloved tournament? But how could one expect the dynamics of IPL to stay unaltered in the new normal? And hence there’s a twist to our love affair with the IPL this time.

Let’s find 10 such things that will be certainly missed by the fans this season-

1. Behind closed doors

There is nothing that could replace the physical presence of the passionate and boisterous fans inside a cricket stadium. A crowd is faceless, but it’s certainly not voiceless, and no one needs to be told about the decibel levels that are reached inside a packed house when it’s about cricket.

Even though it’s true that cricket behind closed doors has not proved to be as nightmarish as it once seemed to be, the absence of the crowd creates one void that can’t be denied. However, being aware of the incredible spreading abilities of the virus, it’s only fair to let go of the idea of having spectators inside the stadiums.

2. No use of saliva

Given the fact the virus transmits through droplets, the use of saliva cannot be permitted at any cost. This restriction has brought a certain change in the game and will definitely leave an effect on this year’s IPL as well. Even though it may not appear a thing to be missed by the fans, the impact brought by it on the game can never be denied.

The balance between the bat and the ball has been on a constant decline. Cricket is increasingly becoming a batsmen-oriented game, and no use of saliva only widens the gulf between the batsmen and the bowlers. Consequentially, the contest will become less exciting and even though the results of this restriction will not affect the viewers directly or significantly, there are minor changes that the connoisseurs of cricket would be able to identify.