IPL can open a rewarding career for rich talents
The Indian Premier League is progressing in full steam. Each day brings with it fresh dreams, new highs and what not, even as the never-ending line of cricket lovers lap up basketfuls of sixes and fours, the prime attraction of the T20 version of the sport. The excitement never dies, only soars as the days go by with the competition growing in sharpness and individual performances demanding attention. Cricket indeed has evolved from those days of relaxed, even lazy Test settings to an action-a-minute version and led the sport to riches that could make other sporting disciplines envious. If there was ever a suggestion that a youngster, boy or girl, could make a career in sport, then it would seriously be cricket that comes to mind!
Sports may evoke different feelings to different people. There is this Olympic gold medallist from Botswana, Letsile Tebogo who said in an interview to a leading English daily the other day that had his primary school teachers not lured him into athletics he would have probably ended up being a criminal in his later years! The reason: he grew up in an area where criminals abounded. Sports organised his life early and in due course provided dividends and a life of achievements, believed Tebogo who is the World Athletics ambassador for its Kids Athletics programme. But there is another view too. Our own Gopi Chand, a champion badminton player in his days and later a well-known national coach who stunned sports enthusiasts with his comment that children in India should not be pursuing sports unless they hail from a rich financial background.
His reasoning was simple. Taking to sports can be wonderful but success at elite levels remains limited. Jobs can be rare and even top medallists who had struggled to reach a level of excellence have at the end of it, just the medals and the recognition to show but no financial backing in the form of a good job thereafter! The element of risk is high and not everyone could be badminton stars like PV Sindhu or Sania Nehwal for they were exceptional talents and enjoyed the fruits of that status. But then, cricket can be different, if one dares to say, and cricketer Rinku Singh is one example that immediately comes to mind. It was the IPL that showed the way for him. An exciting bat, Rinku is the son of a gas cylinder delivery person. Cricket showed him the path from struggle to riches. Today this modest man has been retained by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 13 crores, which incidentally is his annual salary! He has played for India and thanks to cricket, Rinku is finally financially stable.
IPL that way is doing wonders, even as it is proving a godsend for budding cricketers with big dreams. In its 18th edition now, IPL is considered the world’s best T20 cricket league with the best of talents from all over the world involved in the action and unprecedented viewership. For India, this has been the stage for fresh and previously unseen talents, with each edition being a revelation and, what’s more, providing a new gem for the national team in due course. How the franchisees get to pick talents from here and there and even remote areas can only be described with one word: outstanding. This year for instance the one big surprise was the picking of a 13-year old prodigy from Bihar! Vaibhav Suryavanshi was picked by Rajasthan Royals for a price tag of Rs 1.3 crore in the mega auction held last November! It was excitement and scepticism that marked his induction.
But then facts about him are such remarkable ones. He had hit a 58-ball century against Australia for India U-19, the fastest by an Indian in youth Tests. Besides, he had sparkled in the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament. A farmer’s son, the youngster has already played in Ranji. In every sense this left handed talent is considered an exception. The boy is still to make his appearance in the current IPL but he is already a millionaire. Such big money at such a young age…that is what critics believe can be worrying! But one thing is clear: Vaibhav has to keep his focus, and for sure, his life looks settled already, for there is enough time ahead for him to prove that he is a cricketer of a rare kind.
Then again, having taken a step ahead in this race for recognition is this 24-year-old young man from Malappuram, Vignesh Puthur! What a debut he had playing for Mumbai Indians! The left-arm spinner, known for his ability to deliver googlies or chinaman, was given a chance to bowl as an impact player and, sure enough, impressed with a three-wicket haul. In an instant, Vignesh became a hero, acknowledged by all around him and also by none other than the veteran M.S. Dhoni, who had a few encouraging words for him. What is more, the MI owner Nita Ambani presented a ‘best bowler award’ later to the young man to complete his big day! Now Vignesh, son of an autorickshaw driver could have hardly dreamt of how his life had turned. From being a keen enthusiast to chasing a dream, Vignesh had done everything, constantly getting help until coach Vijayakumar at the Perinthalmanna Cricket Academy took him under his fold. Mumbai Indians talent scouts spotted him as a Alleppey Ripples player in the Kerala Cricket League and the rest is history now! Buying him for Rs 30 lakh in the auction, the youngster is now assured of a financial base that can only go stronger.
Such wonderful stories will continue for that is how BCCI is assuring cricketers. Cricket’s journey can be so very enriching in every sense.