The India-Australia Test series had all the ingredients of a Broadway classic and the sweet hangover lingers on. The IPL 10, starting Wednesday and coming on the heels of a six-month-long home season during which India achieved unprecedented success, is facing the challenge to get the fans back to smash-and-grab cricket mode. The 10th edition of the tournament might take a couple of weeks to create a ‘heavy metal’ (this is paraphrasing Jurgen Klopp) atmosphere.
T20 cricket, however intense it may be, doesn’t offer the legacy of the longest format. Make no mistake, stands will be full and millions would be watching on TV from day one. But on the face of it, it appears that the IPL this term needs something special to woo the connoisseurs.
To make matters worse, even before a ball is bowled in the tournament, it seems to have become the Indian Pull-out League. Virat Kohli, cricket’s biggest brand at the moment, won’t be available for the first few matches. Ravi Ashwin, KL Rahul and Murali Vijay will miss the event in its entirety. Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav are out for at least two weeks. A stellar cast is nursing injuries after an unusually long home season. With the ICC Champions Trophy commencing on June 1, every top player appears to be treading cautiously.
Some first grade overseas players would be absent as well. Mitchell Starc, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock won’t feature due to different reasons. AB de Villiers’ back pain is a cause for concern for his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and also all the IPL lovers.
For Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami, however, this IPL presents an opportunity to return to full match fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy. Rohit hasn’t played any cricket for the last five months after picking up a thigh injury during the limited-overs series against New Zealand. Shami had suffered a jarred knee in November last year and didn’t play international cricket since. A good IPL will set them up nicely for the Champions Trophy.
Trying to a pick the favourites in this format would be foolish. The IPL 10 auction put high value on fast bowlers. Little wonder then that England quick Tymal Mills was sold to RCB for Rs 12 crore or Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada went to Delhi Daredevils for Rs 4.5 crore and Rs 5 crore respectively. Even the unheralded Mohammed Siraj landed a Rs 2.6-crore deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu medium pacer T Natarajan was snapped up for Rs 3 crore by Kings XI Punjab. Some death-overs innovations could be on the cards.
There was no surprise in Ben Stokes getting a Rs 14.5-crore deal from Rising Pune Supergiant though. The world’s best allrounder, however, has a bigger job than just winning matches for his franchise. His success in the IPL 10 can reinvigorate the game at school level in England. Too many young kids are drifting away to other sports at the home of cricket.
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