UP T20 League offers crucial exposure ahead of IPL, says Karan Sharma

Kashi Rudras captain Karan Sharma has hailed the UP T20 League as an ideal platform for Uttar Pradesh cricketers to gain match exposure and prepare for the IPL. He credited UPCA for creating an ecosystem that prioritises opportunities and match-readiness

New Delhi: Kashi Rudras captain Karan Sharma feels the UPT20 league has given the state’s cricketers an unprecedented platform which provides them with crucial match-time and exposure in order to make the cut for big tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sharma, who has experience in the IPL ecosystem via spending IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons with Lucknow Super Giants, is amongst those players from the state who have made the cut in heaps for the ten-team league.

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“Absolutely. I extend my gratitude to UPCA and Rajeev Shukla sir. They took an initiative to bring UP T20 to reality because as a player, you need an opportunity and platform to showcase your talent or the skills and hard work you have put in so far. So, it was a thorough process.

“Like when you came, trials happened. Then you got a chance to play in the state for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. When you do well there, then you get picked in the IPL. But now when UP T20 league comes, every player has got 10 live matches, which are enough in quantity to showcase your talent, calibre and capability.

“UP has a lot of talent and through this, they got an opportunity in which they can show everything about themselves game wise. So, there is no better opportunity than 10 live matches and I think this has been a good initiative,” Sharma told IANS in an exclusive conversation on the sidelines of the league from Kanpur.

Crediting the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) for creating a solid structural framework, which is now enhanced by the UP T20 league, Sharma, who hails from Ghaziabad, noted that match-readiness is key for players aiming for higher levels and that the state setup avoids selecting players solely based on net sessions.

“It has always been good. I never felt that bias towards me. But it is fun – thanks to the ecosystem that has been made. I feel that it is a very fair ecosystem because before you play for any board, you get around 8 or 10 matches in which you can show yourself that you deserve that chance in the team or not.

“So if you ask me as a player, UP has made a very good ecosystem for everything. Every player needs an opportunity and here, this is a clear opportunity for you to show yourself, and express yourself. So it is fun to go and show yourself, to express yourself because sometimes it happens that there are many places where they make a team only from the nets. You don’t get a chance then to show yourself as you don’t expect that from seeing the nets, what kind of player he will be.

“When that match comes, you get an opportunity, and only then you know how well that player will perform or not. Before the UP T20 league, the matches of our district were there. Then there are trial matches and games in the camp. So I think a player has played 8-10 matches until he goes to the senior team and plays for UP, whether it’s age or senior cricket. Until then, he remains ready and it’s a very good ecosystem,” he explained.

Reflecting on his time of playing in the IPL and now plying his trade in the UP T20 league, which began in 2023, Sharma stated, “It was a very good experience. Obviously, when you are in the IPL, there is a different kind of vibe. There is a different atmosphere and you enjoy it. The first time, I was enjoying it a lot. The players whom I saw on TV, I was playing and sharing the dressing room with them.

“So, obviously, there is an overwhelming feeling inside you and it was fun. After that, when I came to UP T20, I felt that in terms of cricket standard, it is very good and very high – like there are good bowlers in every team. I won’t say it has the same pressure as in IPL, but it’s close to that.

“So, you get mentally trained to tackle that situation. When you are playing in the IPL or for India, I think it trains you on how to play in that pressure and situation. So it’s almost good, as you get same kind of situations and both the tournaments are fun to play in,” he signed off.