Top players guilty of letting down IPL brand

Too many seniors seemed a bit feckless about the IPL because they are not going to be judged by it when it comes to their places in the national team.

Lokesh Rahul’s anchoring effort in the chase in the eliminator against RCB was symptomatic of the attitude of major Team India players that has been holding the team back from winning anything on the T20 international stage. The pressures of IPL cricket, with teams demanding performance to sustain their so-called market valuations, may be as high as expectations around Team India. And not too many Indian seniors have been seen standing up to them thus far in IPL Season 15.

Too many seniors seemed a bit feckless about the IPL because they are not going to be judged by it when it comes to their places in the national team. In the manner in which Rahul dawdled in the hope of making up in the slog, he simply had to ensure that he delivered to justify taking on such an expansively responsible view of his task for his team. That he didn’t is reflective of what Team India hasn’t achieved in T20I Cup events.

The IPL season was unremarkable for the top-rated teams not performing to their potential. Maybe, their stars were too jaded after too much cricket or they didn’t care enough about franchise team cricket. If that was the reason, then they have let down millions who have spent all their emotional energy in being loyal fans of their favourite clubs among the 10.

Too many results in the season with regard to teams that have won the championship before like the Mumbai Indians Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and

Sunrisers were suspicious in the sense that the stars did not live up to their standing. In a long league season, there will be wins and losses but any defeats on the field for lack of trying or other extraneous considerations can never be forgiven.

Many top players who have been exposed to a lot of cricket in draining international schedules may have been carrying injuries or niggles but in carrying on when not 100 per cent does no credit to them.

If standout performances came more from the younger players, it must be good for the national team provided, of course, that they are given their chances soon. But the selectors are generally too conservative in handing out opportunities to emerging players at the cost of the seniors.

For all the lolly that is thrown around by IPL teams because they have invested heavily hoping to get it all back in terms of TV rights, sponsorships and gate money, their star players are turning out to be underperformers. The suspicion that they are tanking too often takes away a lot of gloss from the multi-billion-dollar league. It’s time that Rohit Sharma and his stars woke up to the reality of the IPL losing mileage because they are not trying hard enough.