IPL 2021: World yet to see KL Rahul's best; Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu will play freely

KL Rahul (left); Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu. Pictures/ AFP

The IPL 2021 edition is all set to resume on September 19 and former Indian cricketer and IPL player Gautam Gambhir went on to share his opinion about various IPL cricketers and their performances. Gambhir, who captained the KKR team at the IPL and also led them to the title in 2012, spoke about KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli and the advantage that defending champs Mumbai Indians have.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show Game Plan, former Team India batsman Gautam Gambhir spoke on how Mumbai Indians can have an advantage in UAE at the IPL 2021. "They've played in conditions that are completely different to where they normally play in. When you see the conditions in Chepauk or Delhi, they are completely different from what you get at Wankhede. And, as I mentioned, they are going into conditions that are suited to their fast bowling - people like Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult. There will be swing upfront, so they will be very dangerous. Plus, Mumbai wants balls to swing and you've got quality fast bowlers and it's going to be an advantage for them. Plus their batters, want the balls to come on to the bat as well, people like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, all those guys struggled at Chepauk, because it was gripping and turning. They are not going to struggle, once they start playing in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. So, that's the reason why I would feel Mumbai Indians will have an advantage; they can't afford slow starter anymore, because they have seven games to go and they might have to win 5 matches to qualify, so they can't afford to be in that situation, where they have to win five out of five," he said.

Gautam Gambhir also spoke on why CSK players like Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina will play freely in the second half of IPL 2021. Gambhir said, "Probably sometimes, it's a blessing in disguise when you don't think of playing for India. People like Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina probably won't have any ambitions to play for India anymore, so, they can go out and play freely. So, when you talk about not having too much match practice, but at the same time, they will have no pressure of expectations, because sometimes when you are knocking at the door of international cricket, you start putting a lot of pressure on yourself. But these guys will be under no pressure."

Gautam Gambhir thinks the world hasn't seen the best of KL Rahul yet. "We haven't seen the best of KL Rahul. Yes, he has got runs, but we still haven't seen, what he can achieve in his batting. You could have a season like Virat Kohli had once. He's that kind of a player in white-ball cricket, where he can get 2-3 hundreds in a season and at a very good strike rate as well. And I hope that it happens, because it has been a disappointment for Punjab Kings. After all, last time around, they had put a lot of faith on Glen Maxwell and he didn't fire; this time around Nicholas Pooran didn't fire. When you start putting a lot of faith in International players and they don't perform, so it puts a lot of pressure on the captain as well," said Gautam Gambhir.

Gautam Gambhir lastly shared his thoughts on why Virat Kohli needs to adjust from Test cricket to T20 really quickly. "See there's going to be a challenge for Virat and there's going to be a huge challenge for AB de Villiers as well because he will be coming into the tournament without playing any cricket at all. Virat Kohli will have to adjust really quickly because there'll be hardly any time for him to get used to it. From the five-Test-match series to the T20 format, and AB as well, because these guys need to get runs if they have to have a chance to first qualify for the playoffs and then probably go on to win the title," said Gambhir.

The Indian Premier League 2021 will resume on September 19 with Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings.

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