IPL on their minds

As the Champions League kicks off on Thursday,the general mood in a dressing room full of players who have never been here before is of a strange anxiety a good performance could be a possible return ticket for the cash-rich IPL.

As the Cape Cobras trooped into the Chinnaswamy Stadium,opener Herschelle Gibbs gushed to his team mates about how the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) had seen a packed house here a year-and-a-half ago.

Gibbs went on to tell stories of full stands,India’s crazed spectators,and how one good inning creates stars in this country. As the Champions League kicks off here on Thursday,the general mood in a dressing room full of players who have never been here before is of a strange anxiety a good performance could be a possible return ticket for the cash-rich IPL,which for this bunch of aspiring cricketers is one piece of cake they want to have and eat too.

For Cape Cobra’s 21-year-old Sybrand Engelbrecht,for example,seeing some of his senior colleagues earning big money in the IPL has been an incentive to perform.

Engelbrecht is a young off-spinner,who came in the limelight during the under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after his fielding was compared with Jonty Rhodes. He is now waiting for an IPL scout to spot him during the tournament.

This is the best opportunity. I need to grab it with both hands. You dont get a chance like this — a good show and you never know youll see me playing IPL next season, Engelbrecht told The Indian Express.

Making a pitch

His expectations are not out of place,especially when he sees senior players such as JP Duminy making a hefty sum from the city-based T20 league. While the game demands more all-rounders,especially those who can bat well,Engelbrecht feels his reputation as a fielder should hold him in good stead. If I can save 20-25 runs that will be handy. I know teams are eyeing more all-rounders but one needs good fielders too, he says,making his pitch before quickly adding: But at the moment we want to go back home victorious from the Champions League.

Thirty-seven-year-old left-arm spinner Claude Henderson also believes that the Champions League will be a stepping stone for youngsters who are trying to get noticed by IPL franchises. At the age of 37,I dont think anybody will be interested in picking me, he jokes,but I would have loved to be part of it. Why me,everybody wants to play IPL. Who doesnt want a good future? The boys are eager to do well and theyre all hoping to play in the IPL.

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In the opener,the Cobras will be up against Bangalore Royal Challengers,and the home sides skipper Anil Kumble out of international cricket for nearly a year now is keen to shine in his first opportunity to play a competitive match in almost four months.

Home advantage

Weve all been preparing hard. There are a good bunch of players in the side. This time,we are looking to take advantage of home conditions, Kumble said.

Bangalore coach Ray Jennings has coached eight to nine players of the Cape Cobras side,and and his inputs will be vital for the home side. But for the young foreign cricketers,there is more to the Champions League than just another tournament its the means to an IPL end.