Mumbai Indians Have A Massive Advantage: The IPL 2022 is set to commence on March 26 and the final will be played on May 29, the IPL Governing Council decided in their meeting last week.
Two cities – Mumbai and Pune – will host all the 70 league games in four stadiums – the Wankhede Stadium and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, and the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune – as the board wanted to create “a single hub to avoid air travel which is considered as a major threat for the spread of COVID-19 infection”.
Now, the interesting point to note is that all the teams will play 4 matches each at the Wankhede Stadium – which has been the home ground for the 5-time champions Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians will hence be the only team to play a part of their matches at what has been their fortress in the IPL. Mumbai’s record at the Wankhede is terrific, according to ESPNcricinfo, they have won 41 of their 67 matches at this particular venue.
Further, it has been reported that the board didn’t receive any formal objections from the other franchises.
The board had made clear to all the franchises that it was highly risky to conduct matches in other cities as that would have included air travel – something the BCCI wanted to avoid lest they should have a situation as they did last season when the tournament had to be postponed mid-way after the first chunk of matches had been hosted by Mumbai and Chennai but covid-19 cases were reported in teams after travelling through air to Delhi and Ahmedabad.
That Mumbai Indians have retained their core players will help them as they know the conditions in and around the Wankhede. The pitch, the dew, the boundary size, the shape and turn in the outfield. All the little things that matter will come to the aid of the 5-time champions.
Further, in the previous seasons, before the covid-19 moved the tournament out of India in the last couple of years, MI had their practice matches at the DY Patil Stadium and Brabourne Stadium. In the first few seasons, the Brabourne stadium hosted some of Mumbai’s matches before Wankhede became their permanent home venue.
Add further to it, Mumbai Indians’ advantage over other teams will become more pronounced if – and it is likely – a percentage of spectators are allowed in the stands. The MI fans have been their support system and their 12th man over the years, cheering for the side and the players in the stands.
