Friends for life!

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis (left) with teammate Dinesh Karthik at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, recently. Pic/BCCI; IPL

As the IPL comes to its grand finale what have been the gains for Indian cricket? As it happens every year, the IPL has thrown up a few names of whom much can be expected in the future. That said, it's also been seen how many of the first season stars fade away very quickly, proving the old saying ‘a flash in the pan' absolutely right. The names are too many to reel off and they include guys who have scored a hundred or taken wickets and scored runs in the knockout stages of the tournament and that's why it is always better to wait till their next season to find out if he is the real thing or just another false dawn. The second season syndrome hardly spares anybody and if the player can come back after that, then there's a good chance that he will have a good career ahead of him. Of course, many an IPL star remains a T20 specialist and doesn't feature much on the domestic circuit. Many of them are quite happy to do that as they get more money playing the IPL than the domestic circuit and so are quite content to be limited in their ambitions. Once again, these are a fair few so Indian cricket doesn't really gain much from that.

This time, there's been an exciting batch of speedsters who have made the batsmen duck and weave and got the ball to thud hard into the wicketkeeper's gloves. True, the pitches have had a fair covering of grass and that has helped them to get the carry that they otherwise wouldn't have found, but still, the sight of a good fast bowler is probably more exciting than a batting prodigy.

Batters exposed

The pitches also have exposed some of the batters and posed a big question mark over their international prospects. Most Indian pitches are dry and bereft of grass, so the ball barely gets waist high even from the fastest of bowlers and so, getting on to the front foot is the norm for the heavy scorers. Last year in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where the pitches had a bit of bounce, though not as much as this year's IPL pitches, the comfort level of some of the batters was down and this time some of them were downright reluctant to face up to the quicker bowlers. The white ball format encourages a bit of moving away to the leg-side to try and play a shot on the off-side and many a batsman, rather than show apprehension against the quick bowler, moves away towards square-leg and tries a shot which he otherwise wouldn't. The discerning know exactly what's happening while the others think that the batter is trying to be innovative.

Known territory

This time, the four teams that qualified for the playoffs were coached or mentored by former sub-continent stars, once again proving that those with knowledge, experience and information about local conditions and more crucially local talent are going to be the key factors going forward. With a minimum of seven players in the playing XI being Indians, it's crucial to know the local talent and to give it the wings to fly. Even more crucially, most of the Indian talent now comes from the non-metros and so are a lot more comfortable with someone who can speak their language and who is easy to approach like an elder brother. The awe factor which is the norm for any youngster rubbing shoulders and sharing space in the change room and the dugouts with big names both Indian and overseas, can be lessened to a great extent if he has someone who understands his language and who he can approach without the worry about being ignored or rebuffed. There is also the very important matter of the days when there is no match or practice. This is where the local guy can feel a bit lost and left out and can start feeling a bit alienated.

Splendid job

The franchises do a splendid job in having recreational activities for their players and their families and that eases the feeling of being lonely. Friendships are made that last a lifetime. The IPL has changed the fortunes and lives of innumerable players. What it has done most importantly is taken away the animosity between players of different countries who share the same change room and thus get to know and understand each other a lot better as well as the culture and approach to the game of different countries. The intensity when these players from the same franchise are playing for their countries has not lessened at all but the animosity that was there prior to the IPL is pretty much gone.

The IPL is not just a tournament where talent meets opportunity, but also an event where former strangers and adversaries become friends for life.

May it continue to rise and prosper.

Professional Management Group