BENGALURU: Fans of former Australia skipper Michael Clarke may have noticed something of a quirk on his Twitter feed on Sunday evening. After a couple of back-and-forths with a few netizens centred on his team’s ODI series against England, the conversation suddenly shifted to an event that was unfurling a few time zones away from Down Under the IPL auction.
“Sandeep Lamichhane is sold to @DelhiDaredevils for INR 20 lacs,” read a post that popped up on Clarke’s stream, appended with a slew of clapping emojis and two of his own words: “brilliant news”.
It definitely was, for both the 16-year-old and the nation that he hails from. Lamichhane is the first cricketer from Nepal to make an appearance on an IPL franchise’s roster.
After making waves during the 2016 U-19 World Cup — second-highest wicket-taker, who also took a hat-trick against Ireland — the leg-spinner had rubbed shoulders with the likes of Shahid Afridi and Clarke during that year’s Hong Kong T20 Blitz.
The latter was impressed and invited Lamichhane to be a part of his team (Western Suburbs) in the New South Wales Premier league.
Fast forward to the current day, and that relationship may ostensibly have spurred Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting to jot down the teenager’s name. “Sandeep had a great U-19 World Cup last time, and he’s played for Nepal,” remarked Hemant Dua, the team’s CEO. “We thought he was good. We called him up for a trial, and liked the way he bowled.” Lamichhane’s now-confirmed journey to the Delhi dressing room isn’t an anomaly. The past two years lived out by a few Associate nations — Afghanistan in particular — serves as the perfect foundation for that line of thought.
From inclusion in the Test fold, to their 2016 World T20, to Rashid Khan cementing his status in this event, West Indies (last June) and the Big Bash League (this season), Afghanistan’s exploits have made franchises realise that the Associate talent pool is not one that should be skimmed over.
Naturally, it wasn’t surprising to see Afghanistan U-19 tweakers Mujeeb Zadran (Rs 4 crore) and Zahir Khan (Rs 60 lakh) being snapped up by Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. “Everyone’s out there scouting throughout the year, be it domestic or international cricket. People are watching everything, be it events like the Caribbean Premier League, Big Bash or Ram Slam,” explained Dua.
Governing Council mulls draft system
IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin stated that the governing council was considering the adoption of a draft system in the place of auctions.
“The thinking is that we may not have mega-auctions, and consider a draft system for new players. We are thinking how to cut down on big auctions and have continuity in teams.”
rahulravi@newindianexpress.com