The upcoming T20 World Cup will be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the US. International Cricket Council still hasn’t come out with an itinerary for the tournament
Our Bureau
Mumbai
Jason Holder plays down burnout fears
Playing down burnout fears, star all-rounder and former West Indies captain, Jason Holder, backed the scheduling of the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the T20 World Cup next year, saying the premier domestic event would provide an ideal platform for cricketers to showcase their skills in the game’s shortest format and make a strong case for selection for the showpiece tournament.
Holder said it would be beneficial to get more game time and hit top form ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. “The T20 cricket you play leading upto a World Cup is always beneficial. Definitely, the IPL being played before the T20 World Cup would help. It will help the players prepare mentally as well,” Holder told ANI.
Asked which franchise he would like to turn out for in the IPL next year, the 32-year-old said that he had a ‘nice time’ with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and he wouldn’t mind playing for these two franchise in the next season of cash-rich domestic T20 league.
However, he was quick to add that it wasn’t for him to decide which team he would represent in the IPL next year.
“I have had a good time with Sunrisers (Hyderabad) and Chennai (Super Kings) as well. One of those two teams would be nice to go back to but it is not in my hands,” the West India, who towers at over 6ft, added.
The Caribbean represented the CSK in the 2013 season of the tournament. However, ahead of the 2015 season, Holder was traded to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Again, ahead of the last edition of the IPL, he was sold to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs. 5.75 crores. Turning out for the Royals, Holder scalped four wickets in 8 matches.
On the importance of franchise cricket in this day and age, the Barbadian opined that it’s important for a player to understand and assess his work pressure and the grind of international cricket before venturing into franchise-based tournaments.
“I think it has its place. I think it is important to understand the importance of international cricket. I don’t think if international cricket existed none of these leagues would be possible. I think it’s important to understand your work on the international stage and then branch into franchise cricket,” the 32-year-old said.
On his performance in the Abu Dhabi T20 League where he is representing the Samp Army, Holder said it has been going pretty well, adding that he was happy to smash a few sixes in the tournament.
The Caribbean said he hoped he could win the League for the Samp Army.
“I have gone pretty well so far. I bowled really well and could strike a few overhead boundaries as well. So, it has been good for me so far. I am really happy with how things have been going here for me. I hope we win the competition for the Samp Army,” the Caribbean said.
The upcoming T20 World Cup will be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the US. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s global governing body, still hasn’t come out with an itinerary for the tournament.
“They need to go after Rachin Ravindra”: Pathan
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan advised Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and urged the franchise to get Rachin Ravindra to add strength to their side.
While speaking to Star Sports, Pathan said that the Hyderabad-based franchise needs a proper spinner who can take wickets.
He added that they have Mayank Markande, but SRH needs more than that and someone who is a regular wicket-taker.
The former cricketer said that they need all-rounders who can support both batting and bowling. He concluded by saying that 2023 World Cup star Ravindra can help them with the opening batting order role as well.
“Ideally, they would like to have a proper spinner who is a wicket-taker. They had Adil Rashid; they don’t have his services now. Obviously, they have Mayank Markande but they need a bit more than that. If they have two all-rounders going really well as far as batting is concerned, Washington Sundar and Marco Jansen, they can actually play with the playing XI. A backup opener is very, very crucial for them and that is why they need to go after Rachin Ravindra big time,” Pathan said.
The Kiwi youngster was the fourth-highest run scorer in the ODI World Cup 2023; he scored 578 runs with a strike rate of 106.44 after playing 10 matches. Meanwhile, Ravindra also picked up five wickets in nine innings and proved himself to be an effective wicket-taker as well.
Ahead of the upcoming season, the Sunrisers retained several players, including Aiden Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Glenn Phillips, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, and others. On the other hand, they released players like Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Harry Brook, and others.
The IPL 2024 auction will take place on December 19 in Dubai. 1166 players have registered themselves for the auction, including some big names like Rachin Ravindra, Travis Head and others.
“A poor choice”: Hogg on Green’s move to RCB
Following Cameron Green’s move to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from Mumbai Indians (MI) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, former Australian spinner Brad Hogg said that it was a poor choice from RCB.
Hogg took to his official Instagram account and explained that the Bengaluru-based franchise already have a quality batting line-up, and needed to spend money on their bowling attack.
The 52-year-old added that one franchise needs to have outstanding bowlers on their side to defend totals and set games up.
He concluded by saying that Green could have been suitable at some other club.
“Is he worth it? RCB, I am looking at their line-up. I think this is a poor choice. Nothing against Green’s talent. He was good for the Mumbai Indians last year. But if you look at RCB’s list, they spend big on their batting line-up. They don’t have enough cash there to spend on enough quality bowlers. If you want to win the IPL, you need quality bowlers to defend totals and set the games up. I think this is a poor choice from RCB and Green could have been suitable at some other club,”
Green, who was bought by MI for a whopping Rs 17.5 crore at the auction last December, featured in 16 matches. The Australian had an impressive start to the IPL, scoring 452 runs, hitting an unbeaten century and two half-centuries while also taking six wickets. Trade has been carried out as per the existing player fee.
“IPL is the best Make in India brand”: Arun Dhumal
The Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal hailed the league as the best ‘Make in India’ brand post-independence. Arun Dhumal was speaking during the RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India in Bengaluru held this week.
While talking about the fan insights and engagement of IPL and its franchises, Dhumal said, “We work as a team with all franchises, we are all partners. We have seen at the recently held World Cup games, that they (fans) were there for Team India, but at the same time, they were rooting for RCB also, which is a great thing and we are very proud of that. Personally, I feel IPL is the best Make in India brand we can think of post-independence.”
The media rights for the IPL have grown from Rs 6,000 crores to INR 48,000 crores and the league is only second to the National Football League (NFL) across all sporting leagues in the world. Dhumal believes the widespread popularity and success of the league will act as a catalyst in its evolution over the next 10 years, as per a press release from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
“If I have to see how it has gone over the last 15 years and if I have to go by estimates going forward, we are expecting media rights to go somewhere close to USD 50 billion by around 2043. Going forward, we need to keep innovating, keep doing better in terms of fan engagement, and keep making it better in terms of the quality of games. Now that cricket is becoming part of the Olympics and with the Women’s Premier League taking it to a different level for women’s cricket, I see a lot of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Because of the way it has been happening for the last 15 years, it is only going to get better,” he said.
RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India brought together the biggest game changers from across the sporting world, offering a truly global perspective on the present and future of the sports industry and how India can become a powerhouse in the business of sports.
