CHENNAI: Letting go of athletes at the right time in any franchise-based league is as crucial as scouting young talents.
It becomes even more important in a tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL) where players have been signed via an auction and not drafted as happens in most leagues around the globe.
One of the reasons why Mumbai Indians have won as many as five times is because they have mastered the art of letting go of players at the right time over the years.
Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ambati Rayudu, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitesh Rana, Axar Patel to name a few.
The upcoming edition is no different as the Pandya brothers, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, and Quinton de Kock, all of whom had a vital role to play in their last three title wins, won’t be playing for them. Despite that, the Rohit Sharma-led side is confident of continuing their success.
While reiterating that it’s the nature of the tournament, Sharma said that the franchise has given opportunity to young players and they have come out in flying colours, which has helped not just the IPL side, but also the Indian team over the years.
“We want to groom them so that they can express themselves. Unfortunately, the rule of the IPL is such that we can retain only four,” said Sharma at a pre-tournament media interaction on Wednesday, before adding, “but, we have got a new team here... We are here to back them and make sure they get the best out of themselves.”
One of the bigger blows to them in the early stages at least is the availability of Suryakumar Yadav, who’s currently injured and in the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru, at the moment.
Despite not confirming whether Suryakumar will play their first match, Sharma said that they are hoping to get him back in the team at the earliest with NCA’s approval.
Full story: newindianexpress.com