Home is where Hardik is!

Barely had the tears dried up after the unexpected loss in the final of the ICC World Cup Indian cricket showed it had the ability to move onThe focus was shifted to the transfer window for the IPL next season Yes there was a fivematch T20 series being played between India and Australia but hey after what was a memorable World Cup who was bothered about the T20 series except the staunch Indian cricket loversThe big boys from both teams were not playing anyway so there was no compelling reason to watch the T20 series after two months of topclass ODI cricket Instead there was much more intrigue and interest in the transfer and trade which was to be done within that weekrsquos deadline Who was going to be transferred who was going to be released who was going where was what the Indian fan was looking at Heshe didnrsquot have to wait long There were rumours floating already about Hardik Pandya being transferredtraded to Mumbai Indians That came as a bit of a shock since Pandya had not only led the Gujarat team to two backtoback finals winning one title but he also seemed well settled there Or so it seemedAlso Read Cheers to tearsSpeculation still onWhen a successful captain wants to leave a successful franchise then the reasons are beyond a common fanrsquos thinking Pandya had been picked by Mumbai Indians as a raw talent and he had now become one of the biggest names not just in Indian cricket but in the world game Therersquos plenty of speculation still going on as to why he wanted to leave and go back to where he had started but then arenrsquot there so many instances of very successful Indians overseas who have preferred to give all that up and come back home Pandya has never made a secret of the fact that he considers Mumbai Indians as his home It tells you of the wonderful family atmosphere that the Mumbai Indians have created where even those who have left have nothing but good things to say about the franchiseIn that week after the World Cup final we saw some players were transferred most were released as the franchises understood that they needed to make funds available for new recruits Most realised how they had splurged on some players who did not even give them a fraction of the value that they were bought for Any team that releases more than five players must also sack their advisors who were there at the auction table for it is because of them that the owners who donrsquot follow much other cricket and so are dependent on these advisors were forced to raise their paddle for some silly amountsThese guys travel the world watching the various T20 leagues which are televised in India anyway and yet come up with duds more often than not The most important thing is to know the difference in the pitches and conditions from India and wherever the other leagues are So to think that the pacers who look so good on Australian and South African pitches will bowl well on Indian pitches is downright silly Yet look at the huge amounts spent on them in the past and count how many matches they have had an impact on Their shortofgood length bowling which looks good on the harder bouncier pitches there is just the ideal hitting length on Indian pitchesCoaches favour their nationThe other thing to watch out for are the coaches especially from these two countries They will suggest mainly names from their countries Promoting players from their countries is such a strong suit with them that we Indians should learn from that and look after fellow Indians rather than trying to pull them down Have a look at which countries players have been most impactful in the IPL and you will find that West Indies and New Zealand are right on top but because the media there is not as influential as in the lsquoold powersrsquo their players get picked almost as a last resort and for paltry amounts You will also find that the more successful players are usually those that play all formats for they have the experience and the wherewithal to make the necessary adjustments to their game The other thing to look out for are those players that come with a doctorrsquos certificate suggesting they will be fine in a week or so Then they break down again after a couple of games or so and the franchise finds out that they have been taken for a ride The entire strategy of the franchises of building a team at the auction goes for a tumble when this happens Have a look over the years and you know which country most of these players come from They as it is act as if they are doing a huge favour to the IPL by turning up and then apart from the odd exception they have added nothing to the franchise but only to their own bank balanceAlso Read How to win a World Cup finalIPL still the most excitingHard words these maybe but having been associated with the IPL from the very beginning I have seen whatrsquos been going on That said itrsquos still the most exciting and competitive T20 tournament in the game Just imagine if all concerned were as attached and loyal to the IPL that has changed their lives what wonderful cricket we would get Is that too much to hope forProfessional Management Group