MUMBAI: Soon after defending champions India exited the T20 World Cup 2009 in England before the semi-finals, then India head coach Gary Kirsten said the grueling IPL held in South Africa a few months ago had left his players “tired”.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Kirsten pointed out that if the cricket calendar continues to be so busy, the players may have to be dropped from the IPL before the next World T20.
Gautam Gambhir reflects on India’s World Cup win and Sanju Samson’s support in the tournament
Since MS Dhoni & Co have been on the road for quite some time now, Kirsten’s observation was not out of place. But it also provided ammunition to those who would blame the IPL every time India lost on the cricket field.The South African was gagged by the BCCI after that press in Nottingham.After almost 17 years, the perception of IPL has changed with Team India winning back-to-back T20 World Cup titles in 2024 and 2026.In white ball cricket, especially T20, IPL has become the biggest ‘USP’ in India.The batch that just triumphed in the T20 World Cup is essentially the IPL generation of players who grew up watching and playing the league.Starting with captain Suryakumar Yadav, this is a team of specialists for the IPL T20.That’s one of the reasons why India looked better than the others, scoring more than 250 three times in the tournament – twice in the knockout stages.“It has bridged the gap between domestic and international cricket which wasn’t there before. The players now understand how to adapt and perform under pressure, which was something that was missing before the IPL. Now they respond well to pressure and even thrive under it,” former Indian footballer Sairaj Bahutule, who was earlier the spin-bowling coach of Rajasthan Royals (2018-21) and will take up the same role with Punja Kings in the Punja group. IPL-2026, he told TOI.Bahutule said the narrative has completely changed with batters.“They don’t play safe cricket now. It’s about being aggressive and taking on the bowlers. They don’t care who’s bowling. They follow the ball and hit it. Every batsman has a role in the IPL. Openers know they have to go hard in the powerplay. Even in the powerplay there are phases – say the first two overs and the next two, how to push – and the batsmen understand how.”The league certainly helped the pitchers, too.Says Bahutule: “Bowling has become tougher because there are often 200-plus runs in the IPL. But it also encourages the bowlers to be innovative and fearless. As you saw, Arshdeep Singh had a plan to bowl wide yorkers and he stuck to it even though he bowled three or four wides. He got a wicket in the end,” he said.The former tweaker also feels that in recent years overseas players have started learning from Indian cricketers rather than the other way around.“Players like Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan speak fearlessly. Unlike other teams, India have comfortably reached 250 totals. Abhishek’s attitude tells you everything about the IPL generation – these guys are not afraid of anything. They just come and attack. If you’ve played in front of thousands in the IPL, you won’t be intimidated by a crowd like that in an international game,” Bahutulemimite.Echoing the views of former India batsman Pravin Amre, assistant coach at Delhi Capitals from 2015-24, said the league plays a huge role in molding the temperament of the players.“The IPL gives the players a platform where it doesn’t feel like the World Cup. It helps build the ‘character’ of the players because the pressure to win every game is huge,” Amre said.Amre further praised the league, adding, “The IPL helps build champions. Apart from one loss to South Africa by 76 runs, the way we played, the other teams were nowhere close to us. The IPL has contributed to that kind of dominance.”Two long-time officials of the IPL franchises also told TOI that the league’s huge talent pool continues to fuel the success of Indian cricket.“IPL has become a talent funnel. It is probably the biggest pool of cricketing talent that any country could dream of. Youngsters get an opportunity to compete against the best internationals, which prepares them to wear the national colors without fear,” said Satish Menon, CEO, Punjab Kings.“The world knows that Indian cricket’s success in white-ball cricket comes from the IPL. From that comes the ability to absorb pressure and thrive in intense situations. The IPL has changed the dynamic of T20 cricket,” Gujarat Titans COO Arvinder Singh said.“When the IPL started in 2008, 160 was the winning score. Then it moved to around 175. Even that seemed difficult to chase then. Anything above eight runs seemed unattainable and 10 runs meant the match was almost lost,” Singh said.“Now, even if you’re chasing 225, going down to 60 off the last four overs is considered doable. The players, pitches and stadiums are the same – the mindset has changed.”Referring to India’s World Cup success, Singh said, “All these players know that they have done it many times in the IPL and that’s why the Indian team is not under the pressure of the score sheet.There is so much competition in the IPL — 74 matches, 10 teams and top players. Sometimes the bowling attack of an IPL team is stronger than that of an international side.Because of IPL, India is ahead,” he pointed out.
