Rahul Dravid believes that the IPL is poised to expand to nine teams in the near future, in order to provide an additional outlet for the surge of young Indian talent that the competition has helped unleash since its inception in 2008.
Dravid, who currently heads the National Cricket Academy, helped guide a group of rookies for this year’s IPL, including Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kartik Tyagi of the Rajasthan Royals, and Ravi Bishnoi of Kings XI Punjab, when he oversaw the race for India towards the end of the U19. World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.
And while he insists that the general standard of Indian cue ball cricket has never been higher, he is sure there is room for even more young players to have the opportunity to learn from the best on the IPL stage, such as This is demonstrated by sustained success. from the Mumbai Indians, whose unmatched combination of youth and experience has propelled them to five titles in the past eight seasons.
“From a talent perspective, I think we are ready for expansion,” Dravid said during a Rajasthan Royals book launch. “It’s been fantastic to see so many of those young U-19s come in and establish themselves, not just for their state teams but also in the IPL. But so many more aren’t really getting a chance. They’re sitting outside on a lot of these teams, because the quality Cricket is very good and there are many good and experienced players.
“That is why the Mumbai Indians have been so good,” he added. “What they’ve done really well in the last four or five years is keeping a strong core of very high-quality players and mixing that with some really good young talent.
“They got to see Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya at a young age, they brought in Rahul Chahar and endorsed Ishan Kishan, and while you wouldn’t exactly call Suryakumar Yadav a young player because he’s been around for a while, a lot of his success is down to to a very good exploration structure. “
At the national level, Dravid believes that India’s pathways for junior cricketers have been exponentially improved by the IPL effect, with the trickle-down effect of the tournament’s huge cash injections leading to better grassroots facilities and greater incentives and opportunities for young people. players to commit to a financial future in the game.
“India has a very strong youth system, but it is not easy to bring these experiences to them only in a national competition. The IPL gives these talents the opportunity to express themselves on the world stage.”
Rahul dravid
“Now, the IPL is not just about the top tier,” Dravid said. “In the past in Indian cricket, when young players were looking for opportunities, the only place they got them was from the 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. “
Dravid cited the great season the Royals’ Rahul Tewatia enjoyed as proof of how the start of the IPL has transformed opportunities for the country’s emerging players. When he was a young spinner in Haryana, Tewatia was behind players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav in the state pecking order, and he played only seven Ranji Trophy games in as many seasons. He became one of the cult figures of this season after his remarkable winning feat against the Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah.
“In the past, [Tewatia] He wouldn’t have been able to show his talent because there wouldn’t be a stage to do it, “said Dravid.” 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 extra pairs of eyes scouting for talent across the country, which is exactly why you see so many of these young players showing up.
“It has already opened the floodgates for people in small towns and cities who watch the IPL on television,” he added. “Coaching is not a barrier for anyone because you can listen to the best experts on television, and because of the IPL money, there are facilities in small cities in India that you would not have heard of a decade ago.
“India has a very strong youth system, but it is not easy to bring these experiences to them only in a 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 in their travel, the opportunity to bat with 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 much of that is due to the experiences these young players are gaining. “
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