RAHUL DRAVID SPEAKS
Do you think that adding one more team is a good idea? © BCCI
Exploring talents, providing a platform for young people and allowing them to flourish on the big stage – this has been an integral part of the Indian Premier League over the years. The country’s budding players might not have had much of a chance to be noticed had it not been for the IPL, from which players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have emerged. For the same reason, Rahul Dravid believes the time is right to add another team to the IPL, with an additional team that translates into more opportunities.
During a webinar for the launch of the book “A New Innings”, written by Manoj Badale and Simon Hughes, Dravid spoke about the beneficial effects that IPL has for young players, as well as for seasoned national names who have used the stage to show your skills.
“From a talent perspective, I think we are ready for expansion. It has been fantastic to see so many of these young U-19s come in and establish themselves, not just for their state teams but also in the IPL.” Dravid said. “But a lot more are not really getting a chance. They are sitting outside on a lot of these teams, because the quality of cricket is very good and there are a lot of good, experienced players.”
In the 2020 season, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravi Bishnoi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kartik Tyagi were some of the young players who stood out. Meanwhile, Rahul Tewatia, the muscular Haryana who has had limited opportunities in domestic cricket, made use of the IPL and became a household name through his performances.
“Now the IPL is not just about the top tier. In the past in Indian cricket, when young players were looking for opportunities, the only place they got them was from state associations. They needed to play for their Ranji Trophy team. in their own state, but today because of the IPL, you can be from Karnataka and you can play for Mumbai.
“In the past, [Tewatia] He would not have been able to show his talent because there would have been no stage to do so. But that’s the other big positive of the IPL. You have eight franchises looking for the best players, so it’s like having eight additional pairs of eyes looking for talent across the country, which is exactly why you see so many of these young players showing up, “added Dravid. .
According to Dravid, a by-product of IPL’s success stories has been India’s growth as a major force in cue ball cricket. “India has a very strong youth system, but it is not easy to bring these experiences to them only in national competition. The IPL gives these talents the opportunity to express themselves on the world stage. Everything we can do as coaches to help them on their journeys, The opportunity to hit Virat Kohli and learn from AB de Villiers is priceless and will help them grow as cricketers as well as individuals.
“It is not a coincidence that if you look at Indian cue ball cricket since the IPL started in 2008, we have won one World Cup, we have been in the semi-finals of two others. We won a Champions Trophy, I have been to the semifinals of the T20 World Cups. In the last decade, Indian white ball cricket has been the best in our history, and a lot of that is due to the experiences these young players are getting. ” Dravid said.
© Cricbuzz
