IPL has its positives. It has given a different dimension to cricketing rivalry, but it?s hard to argue when some former players say IPL is killing the hunger
Glenn Maxwell jumped out his crease to dispatch a well-flighted delivery from Ravindra Jadeja with disdain. Australia were in crisis at 117/5 in the first innings of the final Test at Feroz Shah Kotla and Maxwell was the last recognised batsman. It was an atrocious shot on a turning pitch and against a turning ball. And in the context of the game, it was a more indisciplined act than not submitting the ?wellness report? in time.
Even Ishant Sharma, who took the catch at mid-on, looked a tad bemused at the manner of the dismissal. Maxwell has very little Test pedigree. In fact, he played only his second Test in Delhi. But for someone with a million-dollar price tag in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he was expected to be more discreet in his shot selection.
IPL has different dynamics. Utility is more important here than quality. This is a reason why Maxwell became the biggest star of the IPL-6 auction, with Mumbai Indians eventually landing him for a million dollars.
?He (Maxwell) is an exciting young cricketer. He can bat, he can bowl and is an outstanding fielder,? Mumbai Indians owner Nita Ambani had said after roping in the 24-year-old Australian all-rounder. In fact, this year?s IPL auction took an unusual pattern. Big names failed to evoke much interest, while bit-part players became the stars of the show.
Along with Maxwell, Mumbai Indians bought little-known Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile for $4,50,000. Another uncapped Australian pacer, Kane Richardson, went to Pune Warriors for $7,00,000. Chennai Super Kings bagged South African all-rounder Chris Morris for $6,25,000. Kolkata Knight Riders took Sri Lankan ?mystery? spinner Sachithra Senanayake on board for $6,25,000.
Some Indian players, too, were big gainers. Abhishek Nayar went to Pune Warriors for $6,75,000. Jaydev Unadkat was bought for $5,25,000 by Bangalore Royal Challengers, while Manpreet Gony got $5,00,000 from Kings XI Punjab. Nayar, Unadkat and Gony are unlikely to play for India in the near future, but they have good IPL value.
IPL contradicts the traditional cricket theory. Maxwell played two Tests in India and gave ample evidence that he was not good enough for the highest level. A good cricketer should be good in all three formats, but the IPL franchise owners seem to have a different view of the whole concept.
Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke didn?t get anything more than their base price of $4,00,000 each. The message was loud and clear?classical players didn?t fit into the scheme of things of the franchise owners and coaching staff.
IPL has its positives. It has given a different dimension to cricketing rivalry. It has brought cricketers from all over the world under a common platform. Most importantly, it has provided an opportunity to unknown players to rise to stardom.
But IPL?s penchant for mediocrity is its negative side. It was not surprising that Maxwell didn?t change his bowling style to become a better Test match bowler during the Test series. And he is not the only one. Youngsters these days are not very keen to change their game to become better Test players. They are happy with what they are doing in the limited-overs format.
Twenty20 (T20) ensures maximum return, in terms of money, with minimum effort. Just four economical overs and a little cameo with the bat and the job is well done. It?s hard to argue when some former players say the IPL is killing the hunger. There are exceptions, but not many young cricketers in the modern era are willing to go about their task the way the greats of the game did.
Cash flow and hypes related to the IPL do not reflect the fact that we are living in tough economic times. Everything about the annual showpiece event appears to be recession-proof. But most of the franchise owners are very demanding and want full value for their money.
So the Maxwells and the Nayars would be under real pressure as the tournament starts on April 3. Investing in quality assures guaranteed return. Top players always back their abilities to perform in tough situations. Mediocre players tend to choke. Investing in mediocrity involves high risk. Most of the players, who were roped for big money this season, have very little international experience. Yes, they have done well in domestic T20 leagues or in odd T20 internationals or ODIs, but the question is that do they have the required skill to perform on a consistent basis? The big earners have a big test ahead.
Bits and pieces players haven?t made much impact in the previous editions of the IPL. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Virender Sehwag and Shane Watson always topped the run-scoring chart. Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma can be safely added to the list. These are the youngsters who aim to make it big for India and just IPL success is not their Holy Grail. As far as bowling is concerned, once again, established stars like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel or Ravi Ashwin stole the show.
Time will tell if the nouveau riche can buck the trend.