IPL 2021 has been bizarre and frustrating to watch: Sanjay Manjrekar

The second Qualifier between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) had several twists and unexpected turnarounds. And in the end, the KKR side managed to beat the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi outfit by 3 wickets to qualify for the summit clash of IPL 2021.

And now, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has revealed that the 14th edition of the IPL has been a unique one. The 56-year-old added that the tournament has witnessed players looking at whom people might actually wonder whether they belong to the big stage.

Adding that he has seen a lot of bizarre turnarounds in the 14th season of the IPL, Manjrekar revealed that this edition of the IPL has been a frustrating one to watch for him.

“I have followed the IPL very closely, but this has been a very unique IPL. We have seen some quality players but we have (also) seen a large number of guys who are either ability-wise, quite ordinary to begin with or players who are past their prime.

You have got these very good players and then there’s a huge chunk of out-of-form players, players past their prime, and players with the ability (seeing which) you wonder whether they belong here. And that’s why we have seen so many bizarre ends and turnarounds. This has been, for me, the most frustrating IPL to watch,” said Sanjay Manjrekar in a chat with ESPNCricinfo.

The pitches have helped the bowlers this season: Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar also added that the pitches on offer in IPL 2021 have helped both pace bowlers as well as the spinners. Manjrekar further said that teams have looked rusty even at the fag end of the tournament as well.

“The pitches have helped the bowlers, the medium-pace kind, the quicks, the spinners, everybody. Bowling has thrived, but you would expect in this kind of league for batters to play with distinction. You can understand the first couple of games (but) you can’t be looking rusty in one of your final games of the tournament… IPL this time has basically carried a lot of flap, and that’s what we are seeing here,” said Manjrekar.

Sanjay Manjrekar also felt that there were a number of players like Suresh Raina, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, and Riyan Parag who were woefully out of form but continued playing on.

“Once Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill were gone, Dinesh Karthik, clearly out of his prime, Morgan, woefully out of form, I have got a long list, Suresh Raina, you know, shouldn’t be playing the IPL but is playing, you have got Riyan Parag who played a number of matches for Rajasthan Royals, (Liam) Livingstone, Nicholas Pooran, Dan Christian the batter, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, a lot of these players have just been instrumental in these kind of turnarounds,” concluded Sanjay Manjrekar.