Top 5 batsmen from the UAE segment of IPL 2014

The announcement of the commencement of the Indian Premier League from 19^th September, with the final on 8^th November has generated a wave of excitement in almost all Indians. IPL has become more than just a cricket league. It is like a yearly festival where it is like a big party with family and friends.

The unforeseen circumstances caused by the spread of coronavirus had delayed the IPL and almost brought it to a stage of cancellation. However the BCCI has found a window for it and although it is happening outside India, all the fans are overjoyed that it is happening eventually.

The IPL is scheduled to be played in the UAE this time around and the conditions of India and the UAE will vary quite a bit. The pitches in UAE are lower and slower than the ones on which most IPL games are played on in India. The high scoring grounds like Wankhede and Chinnaswamy will be dearly missed. The change of conditions is sure to benefit some teams more than others.

The IPL has been played before in the UAE. During the 2014 general elections in India, the first 20 games of the IPL were played in the UAE, 5 by each team, after which they shifted back to India. Due to varying conditions, some players performed better and some worse in these new conditions. Now that the entire IPL is going to be played there, let’s have a look at players who performed the best during the 2014 segment of the UAE.

Here are the five players:

5) Manish Pandey: 144 runs in 5 innings at a strike-rate of 121

Manish Pandey had a good run in the first 5 games scoring 144 runs. His highest was 64 which came in the opening match against Mumbai Indians in a winning cause. He kept chipping in throughout the UAE leg and was a good foil to the likes of Jacques Kallis.

Manish Pandey has been a consistent performer in the IPL. He started off well as a youngster for RCB, and then was a part of Pune Warriors India till 2013, before making his debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, a year where they won the IPL, and Pandey was the Man of the Match in the final scoring a magnificent 94. Since 2018, Pandey has been playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad and has significantly strengthened their middle order.

Pandey is known to be a reliable batsman. He has the ability to nudge the ball around as well as play the big shots. In the upcoming edition, SRH will rely on their star batsman to get them through the difficult phases and hold the middle order together, something Pandey is sure to do well.