‘IPL won’t miss Warner, Smith’

The IPL won’t lose its sheen in the absence of star Australian cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner, feels wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel.

Australian skipper Smith along with his deputy David Warner, both captains of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) respectively, were banned for a year by Cricket Australia (CA) after the Cape Town ball tampering scandal which rocked the sport. The BCCI followed CA’s footsteps and banned the tainted pair from taking part in the cash-rich T20 league.

“It’s unfortunate (ball tampering incident). But I feel the IPL is a big brand. It’s such a big tournament with a lot of young players and seniors have been around for years. A couple of incidents that has happened outside the IPL should not affect it,” Parthiv told reporters on the sidelines of an event here on Thursday.

Smith was also stripped of the Australian captaincy for at least two years. Asked if the treated meted out to him and Warner was too harsh, Parthiv said, “I don’t think I’m in a position to speak on what has happened. The ICC and CA have taken decisions.”

Parthiv, who was roped in by the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for 1.7 crores in the auctions this time, said it’s great to be back with the franchise. “A lot has changed from where I was in 2014. (I am) coming with a lot of experience of winning the tournament (with Mumbai Indians),” he said.

“My performance has been very good in last few IPLs. Not many things will change for me. I’ve been working hard personally.”

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