Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris feels foreign players won’t be much affected, but the Indian cricketers will definitely miss the energy while playing in front of empty stands in the upcoming IPL.
“I don’t think there will be too much of an adjustment for the overseas players. A lot of the overseas players play in front of small crowds or even empty grounds on a regular basis, so they will be used to that,” Styris said in Star Sport’s show Cricket Connected.
“But you are right, Indian players, I can’t remember. I mean (Virat) Kohli, 10 years ago, most of those players have been around long enough now. They won’t struggle, but they will just wonder where they are and look for that energy in other ways,” he added.
Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar said it will be odd initially to play in empty stadiums as in India the crowd can act as a 12th man for the home team.
“It might be little odd at the start, but like Scotty (Scot Styris) said, that energy sometimes you get from crowds, particularly in India, the IPL has moved to the UAE, but in India, it can sometimes act like a 12th man for the home team,” he said.