Rahul Dravid calls for Indian Premier League expansion
India legend Rahul Dravid has called for an expansion of the Indian Premier League to nine teams.
Dravid, who heads India’s National Cricket Academy, feels that it is now the right time to expand the tournament to give young players more opportunities to impress and grow as players.
Dravid wants to see more youngsters shine
Many of the exciting young talents on show in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE have been mentored by Dravid and he is thrilled to see so many prospects emerge through the T20 showpiece.
“Purely from a talent perspective, I think we’re ready for an expansion,” Dravid said during the launch of the book New Innings.
“It’s been fantastic to see so many of those young Under-19 boys come on and establish themselves, not only for their state teams but also in the IPL. But many more are actually not getting opportunities. They are sitting outside in a lot of these teams, because the quality of the cricket is so good and there are so many good and experienced players.
“This is why Mumbai Indians have been so good,” he added. “What they’ve done really well over the last four or five years is to maintain a strong core of really high-quality players and mix that up with some really good young talents.
“They were able to spot Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya at a young age, they’ve brought in Rahul Chahar and backed Ishan Kishan, and while you wouldn’t exactly call Suryakumar Yadav a young player because he’s been around for a while, a large part of their success is down to a very good scouting structure.”
Indian Premier League drawing talent from far and wide
Dravid lauded the affect of Indian Premier League teams casting a wide net in search of new talent.
“Now the IPL is not only about the top level,” Dravid said. “In the past in Indian cricket, when young players were looking for opportunities, the only place they got them from was from the state associations. They needed to play for their Ranji Trophy team in their own state, but today because of the IPL, you can be from Karnataka and you can play for Mumbai.”
Since the inaugural Indian Premier League in 2008, there have been eight franchises in the tournament.
Latest
-
NewsDan Lawrence leads Essex onslaught against Derbyshire
The hosts were in a hurry after a first day washout at Chelmsford.
-
NewsEngland likely to do without IPL contingent for New Zealand Test series
The players returning from India will come out of quarantine less than a fortnight before the Lord’s opener.
-
NewsRachael Haynes withdraws from The Hundred due to coronavirus restrictions
Australia’s Haynes was one of the star overseas signings for the inaugural edition of the 100-ball competition.
-
NewsFormer England seamer Harry Gurney retires from cricket due to shoulder injury
The 34-year-old left-armer has been unable to recovery sufficiently from a shoulder injury.
-
NewsRichard Gould leaving Surrey to become Bristol City chief executive
Gould was commercial director at Ashton Gate between 2001 and 2005.
-
NewsJofra Archer takes two wickets on return in Sussex clash with Kent
Archer has been out with finger and elbow issues.
-
NewsJofra Archer to step up injury return in Sussex’s Championship game with Kent
Archer’s last first-class appearance for the county came in the 2018 season.
-
NewsStuart Broad: England not finished article but on verge of ‘something special’
Joe Root’s side finished fourth in the WTC’s inaugural league table.
-
NewsTom Harrison warns ‘we’re not out of the woods yet’ as ECB reports £16.1m losses
Prior to the onset of the global health crisis the ECB had expected the past year to be characterised by rising revenues.
-
NewsECB reports £16.1m loss with cash reserves down to £2.2m due to impact of Covid
Cricket as a whole in England and Wales has accrued revenue losses of more than £100m.