IPL 2014 in UAE recap: What happened the last time Indian Premier League was shifted out of India

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is headed to the UAE. After the T20 tournament missed the April-May window due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shifted it out of the country and the tournament is all set to be played from September 19 to November 10.

It’s not the first time UAE will play host to IPL. Back in 2014, the first leg of IPL was held across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as the 7th edition of the tournament clashed with India’s Assembly elections. 20 matches were played in the UAE before the league moved to India.

If you are keen on knowing how the 8 IPL teams fared during the UAE leg of IPL 2014, read on.

IPL in UAE: Poor Mumbai Indians show, Kings XI Punjab dominate

Mumbai Indians would want to forget their UAE stint of IPL. The Rohit Sharma-led franchise began the tournament in the UAE on a disastrous note, losing all 5 of their matches. The then defending champions. Starting with a 41-run defeat to eventual champions Kolkata Knight Riders, MI struggled to gather any kind of momentum in the UAE. However, they won 7 off their remaining 9 matches after the tournament moved to India to reach the play-offs.

On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab had a fine run in the UAE. They were the only team to win all their matches in the UAE, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s consistent run. The Australian batsman, who returns to KXIP for IPL 2020, amassed 300 runs in 5 matches and came close to scoring a hundred thrice.

Chennai Super Kings, as expected, did well in the UAE winning 4 out of 5 matches. Their only defeat came against KXIP in a high-scoring contest in Abu Dhabi.

Rajasthan Royals managed 6 points from 5 games in the UAE leg while the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) managed 4 points each.

There was a tied match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi but the Royals won the Super Over to collect 2 points.

IPL 2014 UAE leg points table

Top Batsmen: Glenn Maxwell’s golden run

Glenn Maxwell was in imperious form in the UAE leg of IPL 2014. The KXIP batsman hit 300 runs in 5 matches, including two ninety-plus scores that came against CSK and SRH. He also hit 89 against RR in a winning cause.

Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum were in fine form for CSK in the UAE with the former collecting 240 runs and the latter, 193 runs. JP Duminy, who played for Delhi Capitals, was among the top 5 run getters.

Ajinkya Rahane was the only Indian among the top 5 run-getters in the UAE. However, it was Kolkata Knight Riders’ former batsman Robin Uthappa who finished with the Orange Cap for the most runs in the tournament with a staggering tally of 660 runs.

Top 5 run-getters of IPL 2014 UAE leg

Sunil Narine only spinner in top 5 bowlers of UAE leg

While wickets in the UAE were expected to suit spinners, Sunil Narine was the only spinner in the top 5 wicket-taker’s list.

Lasith Malinga, Mohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron impressed with wickets in the UAE. Sandeep Sharma was not far behind as well while Laxmipathy Balaji also impressed.

Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders showcased massive improvement upon returning to India. While MI were knocked out in the qualifiers, KKR went on to win the title after beating KXIP in the final.