PRESS RELEASE
IPL’s impact on Indian cricket
Delhi [India], April 29: Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan has cited the reasons why the entry of new talent in the Indian squad has become really easy after the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former Indian cricketer delved deep into the transformative impact of IPL on the landscape of Indian cricket.
Irfan Pathan, who made his debut for India in 2003, before the emergence of IPL, said in his time players used to aim for selection in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, or Under-19 Indian team to make way into the Men In Blue squad. Pathan shared his views in Episode 2 of the revolutionary podcast series, “180 Not Out.”
Pathan words on IPL’s impact on Indian cricket
“You know if you want to play for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy, you know that time only one Indian team was there. No IPL. You had to play Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, or play for India U19 and then go to the international level. That’s the only aim we had. Now things have changed. During that time, you need to go through stages to come up. Now what happens, is you can play one IPL, and get an entry into the Indian team,” Pathan told Raman Raheja, a Sports Fan, Sports-preneur, Media professional and a Creator who put together this Podcast “180 Not Out”.
The former Indian pacer said his zeal for playing for India was so strong that despite having fractures, he played in the Ranji Trophy and even Mushtaq Ali trophy as he wanted to leave no stone unturned.
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“Even despite having a lot of fractures in my back, I played Ranji Trophy and even Mushtaq Ali with those fractures. We couldn’t find out because the scanner had only 1.5 Tesla machines, and we went to Australia, and with their machines, I found out that I had so many fractures. I kept pushing myself with the painkillers because I wanted to play for India. That priority was always there,” Pathan said.
Speaking about giving back to cricket and the team, Pathan said, “When I came to Jammu Kashmir cricket for two years, my contract was only 20% of the money I was leaving with the Carribean Premiere League, where I had a contract. I could’ve played for Canada Premiere League, T10 Premier League, I’m talking about 2018. It was never about the money, I wanted to give something back to the Indian team, and I’m glad I took that decision.”
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The groundbreaking podcast series by Sports-preneur Raman Raheja is diving deep into the rich 180-year history of cricket, tracing its evolution from its colonial origins to its current stature as a global phenomenon.
In subsequent episodes, the “180 Not Out” podcast will cover a diverse range of topics including the sport’s impact on players, leagues, controversies, commercialization, challenges, coaching, fitness, demographics, formats, records, and future prospects.
Shot at the backdrop of Legends League Cricket (LLC), hosted by Raman Raheja, it is perhaps going to be the biggest Cricket Podcast featuring 60+ Legends in a single season.
Corrospondent : Devansh Awasthi