CHENNAI: Mark Wood. Dale Steyn. Josh Philippe. Mitchell Marsh. Josh Hazlewood. It’s the growing list of cricketers who have opted to skip the Indian Premier League (in Wood’s case he struck his name before the auction) from the sport’s richest franchise event. Normally, players aim to play in the IPL to test themselves as well as find areas to get better (the money does help). Especially in a T20 World Cup year.
This season, though, it’s different. With two more months of strict bubble life, routine Covid-19 tests and playing in stadia without any crowds, it’s up to the players to decide if it’s going to be worth the mental toll. The five who have pulled out have decided to spend time with their families ahead of what’s likely to be more bubbles in a taxing year for the sport.
“It’s been a long 10 months in bubbles and quarantine at different times,” Hazlewood told cricket.com.au. “So I decided to have a rest from cricket and spent some time at home and in Australia in the next two months.” The Indian players and support staff, too, have spoken about the complexities of bubble life. Post the Test matches against England, India head coach Ravi Shastri lifted the veil. “I am waiting to get out of this bubble,” he had said. “Been six months in the bubble.
And you see the same faces day in and day out... it’s tough for professional players. when they are under the hammer, it is really tough to get your best and come out there and deliver for your country. And these guys have been magnificent. Australia was good, and this was even better,” he said. Skipper Virat Kohli too has touched upon it.
Even if Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh pulling out so late could affect the franchises’ plans, it’s worth putting it into context. It’s fair to assume that both Hazlewood (he played three matches in 2020) and Marsh (three of Hyderabad’s four foreign options are set in stone) wouldn’t have played much. You also have to consider whether they are ready to go through an unforgiving two month schedule of stadium-hotel-test-stadium-hotel-test on a loop.
“It’s not easy to live life in a bubble,” has been a frequent go to phrase for sports psychologists. Not without reason. When you are not able to go out with your colleagues — even to a restaurant or to watch a movie — and know that the only refuge is the games room inside the hotel, even to escape a bad day, it does start to take a toll. This is exactly why the England men’s cricket team even created a specific points person on Covid apart from coming up with a unique rotation policy to help players cope with the bubble life. With a week still remaining for the IPL, it won’t be a surprise if a few more players will take calls keeping their mental health at the forefront.