Indian Premier League – A platform for scouting young talent, a fast-track to national selection

For the connoisseurs of the game, Indian Premier League launched in 2008 was more of a ‘tamasha’ and that it would kill cricket by encouraging the young talent to prefer the more unorthodox style of playing, especially with the batters going for all those “across the line” strokes

Hyderabad: For the connoisseurs of the game, Indian Premier League launched in 2008 was more of a ‘tamasha’ and that it would kill cricket by encouraging the young talent to prefer the more unorthodox style of playing, especially with the batters going for all those “across the line” strokes.

But, over the years, it is unmistakable that IPL has been a huge platform for the young talent, especially among the Indian domestic circuit, to come up with a couple of stunning performances and grab the eyeballs of the men who matter when it comes to playing for India.

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To put it simply, a short cut to national selection whether the purists confess or not!

The latest success story of the 23-year-old left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar for Mumbai Indians, when he became the first Indian bowler to take a four-wicket haul on IPL debut, is just another instance of this growing list of players emerging from nowhere, literally, to make headlines.

Ashwani impressed the Mumbai Indians scouting talent with his performance in the Sher E Punjab T-20 championship, especially with his death bowling. He played just four Senior T-20 matches prior to his IPL debut besides two Ranji Trophy games and four List-A matches.

Generally, a franchise has a talent scouting team of five to six , each assigned to different zones across India, with focus on BCCI approved age group tournaments, Syed Mushtaq Ali before the IPL auction.

The other huge success for Mumbai Indians was the 24-year-old left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur from Kerala who didn’t play domestic cricket for Kerala and yet claimed a three-wicket haul against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. He was first spotted by former India pacer T.A. Sekar. So impressed was Mumbai that they sent him to South Africa to train with MI in Cape Town.

Ironically, a couple of franchisees looked the other way when their talent scouting teams suggested the names of these players including Vipraj Nigam, who was eventually bagged by Delhi Capitals. Yet, it is not just an IPL scouting team that picks up someone randomly and pitchforks him on to the centre stage.

For, according to a Mumbai Indians’ official, the data team analyses the performances, studies different aspects including strike rate, variations in bowling, fitness and even mental strengths.

Then, the final phase revolves around the decision of the leadership group including the captain and the owners.

Just consider these names – Jasprit Bumraj, Hardik Pandya, Hyderabadi Tilak Varma to name a few – were all products of this IPL talent scouting scheme!

So, all those young talent across India have a reason to showcase their skills, commitment and passion and back with consistent performances.