Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Domestic screen test before big IPL bang

Scheduled ahead of Indian Premier League auctions, zonal T20 competition provides players opportunity to impress franchise scouts.
Members of the Andhra team during a practice session at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday | (Ashwin Prasath | EPS)
Members of the Andhra team during a practice session at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday | (Ashwin Prasath | EPS)

CHENNAI: On Sunday, the zonal leg of India’s domestic T20 tournament, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, gets underway in Chennai, Kolkata, Dharamshala, Nadaun, Vadodara and Jaipur. It’s a format that brings crowds to the stadiums. But this being domestic, proceedings may not attract more than a handful over the next week. That notwithstanding, IPL scouts will keep an eye on what’s happening.

This is a tournament that acts as an audition for the bigger party. For most players, each leap they make is a small stride towards realising their dream of earning the India cap.

Ask any Ranji player, be it Priyank Panchal, Shreyas Iyer or Rishabh Pant, they all have answers ready how playing for India is the biggest goal. But as far as this tournament goes, it’s a stage where some of these players can catch the attention of IPL sides.

The pressure or the goal here for players is not just about developing new skills required in this format, but that of earning contracts, which will allow them to rub shoulders with some of the world’s best. 

“Even in Ranji or Duleep, you know the selectors are watching. But you can’t keep thinking of playing an innings that will impress them.

You are taught to play without keeping these factors in mind. For this tournament, we know that scouts will be following us. But as a player, you can’t do anything different. If they call a player for trials, it’s a bonus, because at the trials they have a close look at you and you can make a strong case for yourself. Most sides look for approach and work ethic,” observed Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar.

Whether purists like it or not, the IPL cap has its own value among domestic cricketers. Apart from earning a fortune, there is also the opportunity to experience the kind of ambience one gets in international cricket. However, not many players from the south, who have not represented the country yet, are IPL regulars. It suggests that they built their foundations in longer formats.

The likes of Abhinav Mukund, Baba Aparajith, CM Gautam, DB Ravi Teja, Ricky Bhui, K Srikar Bharat, S Badrinath, CV Milind, Sachin Baby, Raphi Vincent Gomez are all big names in their state sides. But they are far away from the IPL din.

“Being part of the IPL is huge. You can see the difference between domestic players who feature in IPL and those who don’t. The whole thing towards the way you approach match changes, as you learn a lot by even sitting in the dugout. You get to see the situations first hand and learn from teammates how they go about it. All of it makes a big difference for a domestic player,” said Vijay, who was part of defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad’s squad last season.

For IPL sides, this is the tournament where they look at players who can add value to the squad. Though most internationals pick themselves in the XI, domestic players are the ones who make up the reserve bench. “All IPL sides keep a tab on domestic performances.

In a tournament like this, you get these lesser known players who have a multi-faceted game. That is what we look at. They are mostly used as reserves, but there is always the odd player who has the X-factor and that is what we look for,” said TA Sekhar, director of Delhi Daredevils.

venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com

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