Ability to handle spin well could be key, says former Australia batsman Dean Jones, as the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) moves to the United Arab Emirates this year.
Jones, who has seen a lot of T20 cricket in the Middle East being a commentator and coach in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), thinks surfaces in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi will get worn-out from the mid of the tournament and that's where the team that bowls and bats spin the best could come out triumphant.
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"Well, they will be using all three grounds at Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Whenever I have commentated there or coached in the PSL, I can say they all have their individual characteristics. You need to make sure you have got your match-ups right. The major concern for all the teams would be that with so much cricket being played on all three venues, the pitches will get tired and that’s only natural," Jones told Hindustan Times.
"So, it might come down to who plays spin better. Some teams might pick three spinners and only two quicks. At the start the pitches will be great to bat on but there is no doubt that they will get tired as the tournament goes on," he added.
One thing Jones is hoping for is that the boundary size isn't tweaked at the three venues, with all of them offering different dimensions for teams to adjust to, which always makes for more interesting cricket.
"Sharjah is the smallest but Dubai and Abu Dhabi have big grounds. How the BCCI manages the size of the ground is going to be quite interesting."
“I like it when grounds are played at their normal size. Abu Dhabi is big so it will give some help to the spinners and batsmen need to work on their running between the wickets."
"Dubai can be made as big ground and you can get caught at the boundary and Sharjah, well you can get hurt if you don’t get it right because mishits go for sixes there."
"They are all completely different sized grounds and I hope they will stick to the natural sizes of the ground."
Further, Jones gave names of young Indian talents he will be keeping his eyes on.
"I want to see Shubman Gill open the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)," he said. "I think there is an opportunity for it now and the time has come for them to put him at the top of the order and let him play."
"I am also very keen to see how Rishabh Pant plays (for Delhi Capitals). He has been a bit up and down and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of knowing that Dhoni is back playing," he concluded.
