The Indian Premier League has been around for nearly two decades. So it is surprising that many supporters, and even some teams, are only now emphasising on having a home advantage.
Over the years, one team has had a clear strategy of tackling the IPL's home and away format.
Chennai Super Kings have the simplest formula for success in the league - turn their home venue into a slow bowler's paradise, pick bowlers and batters that can excel in those conditions, win at least five of the seven home matches and qualify for the playoffs by winning two or three away matches.
Chennai are more than happy to scrap on a 170 pitch at the Chepauk stadium, rather than go for glory on 240-plus surfaces.
It does not work every time; Chennai were defeated comprehensively by Bengaluru at their home ground on Sunday. But CSK's overall home record is superb - 51 wins from 73 matches.
The other team that has slowly started to form some kind of home advantage since the last season is Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have gone to the other extreme by filling their squad with gargantuan power hitters who can out-bat any opposition at their Uppal home ground.
Both teams do lose at home and win away, but there is some structure to the way they approach the IPL.
The same can't be said about two prominent teams this season thus far - Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Rajasthan's home base is the batting friendly Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. However, this year they have started the season by playing their 'home' matches in the opposite part of the country - Guwahati.
The Royals have chosen the city in the north east of India as their second base as their team owner and also current stand-in captain (Riyan Parag) hail from that region.
However while last year they played their games there towards the end of the season, Rajasthan have started 2025 from Guwahati, which has not gone according to plan with one defeat there and another loss away in Hyderabad.
In fact, the Royals play their first actual home game in Jaipur on April 13, a good three weeks after the start of the tournament. By that time, they could well find themselves struggling in the points table.
It must be noted that only three teams in this IPL have split their home venues - Rajasthan, Punjab (Mullanpur and Dharamsala) and Delhi (Visakhapatnam).
Then there is Kolkata, whose supposed estranged relations with the local ground staff at the Eden Gardens stadium has come out in the open.
For the last few seasons, some Knight Riders players have alluded to the team not getting the kind of pitches they want at their home. Despite that, Kolkata won the IPL last year.
This year, without star captain Shreyas Iyer, who was shockingly let go, and coach Gautam Gambhir, the team needed all they help they can get. However, the Eden Gardens ground staff are said to be unwilling to make the kind of surfaces the Knight Riders want - reported to be slow surfaces that help spinners.
If true, this is a tricky situation as the tournament and fans would like to see high scoring matches, while the team would want to maximise their strength and ensure as many points as possible in home matches.
So even in a domestic T20 tournament, a distinction is beginning to emerge between home and away games. Smart teams are selecting their squad and retaining players according to the conditions at their home grounds - which sounds easy but difficult to execute amid a complicated player auction structure, injuries to players and availability of appropriate and in-form talent.
A few more high-scoring venues like Delhi, Mumbai and Mullanpur (Punjab) will feature prominently in the IPL over the coming weeks. There, we will get to know if the respective franchises have planned according to their conditions, or for the tournament as a whole.
For some teams, it is easier to cover every base and field top quality power hitters and wicket-taking bowlers, irrespective of conditions.
Those who like to play their percentages, home advantage becomes paramount. Chennai have mastered it over the years, maybe others will start to replicate it soon.
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
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