Stani Army

After a quite resounding win for the Indians over Pakistan in the tri-series in Mirpur Bangladesh, one can’t help wondering whether we are seeing the effects of the IPL on Indian cricket already. There is no doubt that the Indian youngsters playing for their respective franchises would have benefited from the top international players they played with and against. Another thing they would have benefited from is the experience of being asked to perform when it matters in real match situations in front of large crowds something which net sessions just cannot provide.

When the Indian ODI squad was announced for this tri-series there must have been more than one or two players disappointed not to have made the squad and understandably so. From the players on view in the IPL, India could have quite easily put out three one day sides and still have been competitive with each. I’m certain that all the other cricketing boards are looking on with envy and must be putting plans into place for a piece of the pie. The only problem for them is that India got there first. The other boards will not be able to find the time in their calendars or find enough world class cricketers let alone compete with the financial clout of the BCCI. The only possible solution would be for the ICC to step in and request that the quota of youngsters in each IPL franchise should be made up of youngsters from other nations also. As it stands, India will be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the shorter forms of the game. It remains to be seen how the other Cricketing boards react if at all.

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