"The Most Frustrating IPL To Watch": Sanjay Manjrekar Explains Why IPL 2021 Had So Many Bizarre Ends And Turnarounds

IPL 2021: Ex-cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a dig at certain players who were terribly out-of-form and also looked past their prime during IPL 2021, which according to him, was the reason why this season consisted of several bizarre ends and turnarounds.

Former India cricketer and a thorough analyst of the sport, Sanjay Manjrekar, opened up about the quality of cricket in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. After watching 59 completed games this season, Manjrekar hardly seemed impressed by the nature of cricket that was on disposal in the cash-rich league. According to him, this current season had a number of players who were currently out-of-form or even past their prime. These reasons, according to Manjrekar, led to IPL 2021 being full of "bizarre ends" and "turnarounds".

Talking during a show on ESPNcricinfo.com, where he was speaking right after the end of Qualifier 2 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals, Manjrekar opined that the current edition had a huge gap between players who were consistent and those who seemed "ordinary" ability-wise.

"I've followed the IPL very closely, but this has been a very unique IPL. Because we have seen some quality players, but we have also seen a large number of guys who are either ability-wise quite ordinary to begin with or players who are past their prime. So, we have seen a lot of those kinds of players in the IPL and we have seen some bizarre results and performances," Manjrekar said.

He even termed IPL 2021 to be the "most frustrating IPL to watch". The statement came after watching several teams taking the game deep and in a tricky situation despite having the upper hand initially.

"You've got these very good players and then there is a huge chunk of out-of-form players, players past their prime and players with ability that you wonder they belong here. And that is the reason why we've seen so many bizarre ends and turn-arounds. This has been, for me, the most frustrating IPL to watch," he added.