Vengsarkar, however, underlined that nothing could be said with certainty in the fast fluctuating fortunes of 20-over-per-side matches.
Kohli, too, feels that since 2016, “this is the most balanced I have felt about the squad”. He was referring to a batting line-up that includes Aaron Finch, new sensation Devdutt Padikkal, besides himself and de Villiers; pacers like Navdeep Saini, Dale Steyn and Chris Morris; and spinners Chahal, Washington Sundar and Adam Zampa.
This is the second time the IPL is being staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, the first half of the IPL was played in the UAE in 2014 due to the general elections in India.
There are a lot of players in the eight teams who haven’t played in the UAE before. They are new to the conditions and the pitches are different from India.
“Basically, the conditions are humid in the UAE. But then…