IPL 2020 Venues: What Does Each Stadium Offer

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The Indian Premier League despite a global pandemic is ready for its 13th iteration. This would be the second time when IPL is being held in a foreign land. The first time something like this happened was in 2009 when the IPL coincided to the General Election in India. For security reasons, the tournament was moved to South Africa.

This time the IPL is being moved to a foreign venue because of coronavirus. The coronavirus situation is still very tense in India with the case still rising and no end in sight. Since the IPL brings in lots of money for the BCCI, it has decided to move it to comparatively safer UAE. IPL 2020 Schedule is as follows:

Start: 19 September 2020

Final: 10 November 2020

The games will be played in 3 venues across the UAE with players staying at one place so that they don’t have to mix up with many people. The player’s list for IPL 2020 has already been revealed. This article shows all the venues of IPL 2020 and what each stadium offers in terms of conditions and pitch. Players looking to score big in dream 11 need to keep a close eye on the conditions that each stadium offers.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Seating Capacity: 25,000

Boundary Length: 60-70 meters

Dew Factor: High

This is a multi-purpose stadium with a seating capacity of 25,000 spectators. It has an oval ground with consistent boundaries all around. The boundary length is not known yet and since boundary lengths depend on the format of cricket, it is expected to be the range of 60-70 metres at max.

The average score while batting second drops by 22 runs in T20 which means that the pitch is very much affected by the dew since most T20s are held in the evening and go on till night. For games starting in the afternoon winning the toss won’t have much effect on the game but for games that start in the evening, teams batting first would certainly have an edge.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Seating Capacity: 17,000

Boundary Length: 60-70 meters

Dew Factor: High

Sharjah is among the best-known cricket stadiums in the world and there is a good reason for it. This stadium has hosted the most number of ODIs of any stadium in the world. With 242 ODIs to its name, Sharjah occupies a very high spot among cricket stadiums. Being close to each other all the three stadiums would have similar weather conditions and pitches.

Weather in UAE is hot and humid which means dew would play a huge part in the games that are held in the evening. The boundary length of all the stadiums is expected to be similar since all three stadiums are similar in seating capacity and quite small when compared to the likes of MCG or the Eden Gardens.

The stat also proves my point of dew affecting games in the evening. Not many T20s have been played in this stadium but the ones that have been played were closely fought with similar average scores in both the innings.

Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium

Sheikh jayed Cricket stadium

Seating Capacity: 20,000

Boundary Length: 60-70 meters

Dew Factor: Low

The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium has hosted 44 T20s out of which team batting second has won 25 times while team batting first has only won 19 times. This interesting stat is due to its openness. This stadium is not bound from all sides by stands like most stadiums. It has just two ends that block the winds but it’s open on the leg and off sides which means wind could easily pass through the stadium. This results in the stadium having less dew since the hot and humid air is allowed to move out.

The second batting team winning on most occasions could be attributed to its design. This stadium brings a breath of fresh air (quite literally) to the monotonous list of stadiums that all look the same and become heat chambers in the second half of the match. Matches held here would be the most interesting.

All these stadiums are similar to M Chinnaswamy in Bangalore, a ground that is known for high scoring games. With teams playing on same grounds, this year’s IPL looks like a more even contest than before!

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