Shaking off rust is going to be key feature of IPL
Brijesh Patel never got an opportunity to play at Sharjah. Cricket in the emirate, the third largest in United Arab Emirates ( UAE) started a few years after the dapper middle order batsman and brilliant fielder had finished his career as an Indian international. Patel who is now Chairman, Governing Council, of the Indian Premier League ( IPL) was seen sitting quietly in the VIP section as India’s most loved tournament kickedoff bringing a glow of light into gloomy Indian homes.
Having taken the position during the last elections of the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI), Patel knew the challenges, once the pandemic went viral across the globe. When Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma went out for the toss at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, a small part of him must have relaxed, the feeling similar to that when a batsman faces the first ball of his innings with confidence. Even as the cameras focused on other important VIP’s from time to time, the man sitting in the hottest seat in the BCCI must be a bundle of nerves as Chennai Super Kings ( CSK) beat their nemesis Mumbai Indians ( MI) in the last over of the match.
There were many takeaways post the first fixture of the IPL. The biggest being that most players ( barring a few) looked bulky and far removed from what they would have in happier times. To stay away from actual cricket for five plus months and then get corralled in a ( forced) enclosed environment for almost a month is bound to show on the players. And it did. A slight bulge in the belly, sloppiness abounding while fielding and the line and length going a bit awry were proofs of the absence of the ‘ real’ thing — match practice.
Shaking off the rust is going to be the key feature of the IPL at this stage and the earlier teams do it the better for their chances as the tournament progresses. Fans would do themselves a favour if they manage to hold on to their ( high) expectations as it will take nothing less than three to four matches for the players to come back to their own in the new normal. For now, not only are they trying to get back to their peak, in term of fitness and play, they are faced with the prospect of doing so on unfamiliar pitches they cannot predict.
Fitness and lack of match practice may be the bugbear of the players but the CSK vs MI game showed that the IPL fans are fit and raring to go. CSK’s victory meant that ‘ Thala’ Dhoni is back in business and fans were watching every move made by the most experienced skipper of the tournament.
Man of the match, Ambati Rayudu’s match winning essay of 71 of 48 balls not only made him an unlikely hero but gave fans the ammo to shoot at the Indian selectors of the immediate past and the team management of their ‘ folly’ in not picking him for the International Cricket Council ( ICC) World Cup last year.
With fans getting back their mojo and the die being cast with the start of this important tournament, BCCI is reported to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Emirates Cricket Board. The MoU could make the Arab country a back- up option in case the pandemic situation in India does not subside and may well see India play its home series against England, next year as well conducting IPL 2021 once again in the desert. The vision of those who started the Cricketers’ Benefit Fund Series ( CBFS) in Sharjah ( in the early 80s) has achieved fruition today with two more top class venues in the Emirates available.
The IPL bio- bubble is ‘ full’ even as the tournament tries to pick up its speed taking the attention of a million fans away from the harsh realities of living in the new normal. The BCCI has taken all the necessary steps to ensure its smooth flow from appointing health partners, negotiating with the local authorities to give comfort to the franchises and monitoring betting irregularities through a recently appointed agency.
The IPL juggernaut has started to roll in the heat and dust of the UAE. And, going ahead ( till November 3) there will be many more challenges that Patel and his efficient team will face. Watching them during the first game, it does look like they have put aside the initial hiccups and are hell bent on executing one of the toughest tournaments in these difficult times.