Ganguly on when Devdutt Padikkal will wear Indian colors

As the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League concluded in UAE, many youngsters impressed the audience and cricket experts in these tournaments. Some youngsters like Riyan Parag, Kartik Tyagi, Devdutt Padikkal, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Monu Kumar left their mark on the fans. They really impressed everyone with their superlative performances and brilliant cricket.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly played a big role in organising IPL tournament in UAE amid Coronavirus pandemic crisis. He also applauded youngsters for their performances. Royal Challengers Bangalore young opener Devdutt Padikkal scored 473 runs from 15 IPL matches in IPL 2020 with five half-centuries. Ganguly rated him highly in one of his interviews.

Ganguly remarked about Devdutt, “He is a very good talent. Although T20 cricket is the first step…I saw him play an innings at Eden Gardens in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Bengal vs Karnataka…Karnataka was a strong side and he stood tall.”

He added, “He has got talent and time when he plays fast bowling. Let him go through a couple of seasons because the second season will be a lot harder. India wants openers so hopefully, he will get his game right at the top level.”

As India have many talented players available for the opening position, Devdutt maybe requires to wait two-three years more for an opportunity in the Indian team. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are permanent openers of the Indian team in limited over teams. Also Mumbai-born Prithvi Shaw, Karnataka batsman Mayank Agarwal, Punjab batsman Shubman Gill are knocking Indian team doors with their astonishing performances.

Mumbai Indians clinched their fifth IPL title and look unstoppable

Mumbai Indians showed complete dominance over other teams throughout the tournaments to win their fifth IPL title. They won the final of IPL 2020 against Delhi Capitals yesterday. Devdutt’s team Royal Challengers Bangalore have also qualified for playoffs. They lost against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator game and knocked out of the IPL.

Devdutt won the Emerging Player award of IPL 2020. He leapfrogged stalwarts of his team Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers by making more runs than them in IPL 2020. Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul won Orange Cap with 670 runs while Proteas speedster Kagiso Rabada won Purple Cap with 30 wickets.

What next for Sourav Ganguly and the IPL 2021?

After the success of the IPL 2020 tournament, the BCCI will have regained its confidence. They will be certain of the fact that they can host another such tournament soon. Already, the President, Sourav Ganguly confirmed that the next IPL will be held in April-May. He also added that it will be taking place in India itself.

This will be really positive news for the young Indian talents. Also, a total of ten teams could feature in this competition. More franchises means more opportunities, not just for the players from India but abroad. It will be a spectacle to see more teams play in the tournament once again.

The longer format of the tournament could be beneficial for other sides to leave their mark. The Mumbai Indians have been a dominant force in the last couple of editions. However, if that needs to change, there needs to be a proper distribution of talent.

New rule for IPL 2021 which could have a major impact on the sides

Another new rule that could be implemented in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League is the fact that the franchises will be able to retain only three stars. This means that many of their other players might be let go off for the mega-auction.

This could really help in mixing things up and generation greater interest. With the addition of a couple of new teams in the tournament once again, things could get really interesting. It would be a huge added incentive for the fans of the game as well.

The cricket-faithful have been craving for more of the same, after IPL 2020’s success. Now, the upcoming edition could give the masses what they want. It will be interesting to see whether the BCCI can implement the tournament well. They did a really good job in the UAE and credit where it is due. Let’s wait and watch!!