With the Indian Premier League in full swing and the air thick intense rivalries, there’s no doubt that every player wants to be at the top of their game. To achieve and maintain peak physical fitness is no easy task, and with high pressure added on top, nutrition becomes a high priority. “All of them are on TV, and when they sweat, their jerseys stick to their torsos, and you can tell who is paunchy and who is ripped; so they have a vanity perspective [to begin with],” explains Ryan Fernando, a Bengaluru celebrity nutritionist, who has worked with the likes of celebrated cricketer Virat Kohli and is currently working with IPL players like Swapnil Singh (RCB), Rahul Tewatia (GT) , and Shardul Thakur (LSG).
With the IPL games starting only past 7pm and going on into the night, Fernando has to completely change their diet plan, starting the first week of March. “Breakfast shifts to 10.30-11am, because they sleep at 3am. Lunch is shifted from 2.30pm to 4pm.”
While most players heavily cut back on carbohydrates, protein intake is prioritised. Evening meals and snacks are kept light.“The biggest complaints from IPL players is heat exhaustion. So a lot of our evening meals change to soups and smoothies. They prefer protein smoothies with berries. A lot of them just stick to small sandwiches,” he says.
Cheat meals
It’s easy to wonder if elite players, too, cheat on their diets. According to Fernando, yes. “During the IPL, many of them aren’t able to stick to clean diet plan unless they have the mental grit of, say, Kohli, and that’s why he’s at the top of his game in terms of diet,” he says, explaining, “Most players are relatively disciplined on matchdays and the nights before. However, if they win, there’s always a text at 12:30am, requesting to eat something not in the diet plan.” When players take a cheat day, it’s on a day of travel or rest, with Fernando working with them to create a list of acceptable ‘reward meals’.
Should you eat like an IPL player?
While a non-athlete following an IPL player’s diet is not recommended, Fernando notes that some aspects can be adopted by night-shift workers. “Working out in a fasted state first thing in the morning can burn more fat. Players do only protein meals or salad during nighttime,” says Fernando.
Try This
When sitting down this evening to watch RCB take on CSK, ditch the popcorn, pizza, and nachos, and swap them with healthier snacks that the players prefer. “Number one would be a multigrain sandwich with a lot of vegetables. For vegetarians, my favourite is paneer tikka prepared like bhujia and put into a wrap. If you’re non-vegetarian include either egg or some meat to boost the protein,” says Fernando.
Say No To This
While you may have seen star cricketers’ faces plastered on energy drink packaging, in reality, they are a no-go, reveals Fernando, saying, “None of them actually take energy drinks because sometimes, there is a sugar crash after that. They have their isotonic or electrolyte sports drinks. About one or two hours before the game, they have a stimulant to keep them alert – tea or coffee with essential amino acids.”