Dravid regrets 4-foreigner cap - News - News - Times of India Cricket - IPL
NEW DELHI: It seems the cap on fielding only four foreign players in the IPL playing XI has not turned out to be a workable option for captains desperate to win every game. The ruling seems to be coming in for some criticism, especially with some franchisees, who have packed their sides with foreigners, feeling hampered having to bench quality cricketers.
At least two icon players have now openly expressed reservations about the stipulation, with Rahul Dravid following Team Mohali skipper Yuvraj Singh in voicing his ‘‘problems’’ trying to juggle options before every game. The Royal Challengers have notched up only a solitary win so far and captain Dravid said on Tuesday, ‘‘Selecting only four out of nine is a problem. It’s not easy for any captain. You need good players around. So you have to see in which area the local players are strong and then take a call.’’ His chief cricket officer, Martin Crowe, chose to couch it in different terms: ‘‘It’s difficult, but it’s one of the beauties of this competition. It keeps the mind ticking.’’
Days earlier, Yuvraj had expressed similar sentiments, going so far as to say he hoped the IPL governing council would look into the matter in future editions. The tournament so far has seen several big names from abroad, like Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Herschelle Gibbs and Simon Katich, among others, either mostly warming the benches or not getting a game at all. For some teams, it has come at the expense of a positive result.
Delhi Daredevils advisor TA Sekhar too said on Tuesday: ‘‘This problem (choosing foreign players) is same for all the franchisees. After the Aussies leave, I think only Chennai will not have this issue. We have to choose the best combination for the match. We cannot go by history or records but decide by combination what will win the match for us on a day.’’
The Aussies, West Indians and Kiwis might be scheduled to leave, but Dravid said, ‘‘Seeing the magnitude of this tournament, it would be nice if the ICC could create a window for the IPL if it doesn’t affect the Future Tours Programme so much.’’
If that works out in future, and top foreigners are available throughout the duration, any potential increase in the cap could come as bad news for the lesser-known domestic players, some of whom have risen to prominence over the last few days. But you can’t blame captains under pressure to win games for being dissatisfied with having to bench quality options.
NEW DELHI: It seems the cap on fielding only four foreign players in the IPL playing XI has not turned out to be a workable option for captains desperate to win every game. The ruling seems to be coming in for some criticism, especially with some franchisees, who have packed their sides with foreigners, feeling hampered having to bench quality cricketers.
At least two icon players have now openly expressed reservations about the stipulation, with Rahul Dravid following Team Mohali skipper Yuvraj Singh in voicing his ‘‘problems’’ trying to juggle options before every game. The Royal Challengers have notched up only a solitary win so far and captain Dravid said on Tuesday, ‘‘Selecting only four out of nine is a problem. It’s not easy for any captain. You need good players around. So you have to see in which area the local players are strong and then take a call.’’ His chief cricket officer, Martin Crowe, chose to couch it in different terms: ‘‘It’s difficult, but it’s one of the beauties of this competition. It keeps the mind ticking.’’
Days earlier, Yuvraj had expressed similar sentiments, going so far as to say he hoped the IPL governing council would look into the matter in future editions. The tournament so far has seen several big names from abroad, like Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Herschelle Gibbs and Simon Katich, among others, either mostly warming the benches or not getting a game at all. For some teams, it has come at the expense of a positive result.
Delhi Daredevils advisor TA Sekhar too said on Tuesday: ‘‘This problem (choosing foreign players) is same for all the franchisees. After the Aussies leave, I think only Chennai will not have this issue. We have to choose the best combination for the match. We cannot go by history or records but decide by combination what will win the match for us on a day.’’
The Aussies, West Indians and Kiwis might be scheduled to leave, but Dravid said, ‘‘Seeing the magnitude of this tournament, it would be nice if the ICC could create a window for the IPL if it doesn’t affect the Future Tours Programme so much.’’
If that works out in future, and top foreigners are available throughout the duration, any potential increase in the cap could come as bad news for the lesser-known domestic players, some of whom have risen to prominence over the last few days. But you can’t blame captains under pressure to win games for being dissatisfied with having to bench quality options.
