Time was when Sri Lankans outnumbered Australians, Englishmen and South Africans in the Indian Premier League.
That was in the early days. Not only did Sri Lankans represent every franchise, some of them were captaining. That was when our game was respected by all and sundry and the nation deserved that recognition, having reached three World Cup finals in the space of five years. No other international team could boast of such consistency.
However, Sri Lanka’s fall from grace was rapid and steep. For an extended period of time no Sri Lankan was picked by IPL franchises. There were rumours that BCCI had instructed franchise owners not to pick Sri Lankan players as our board had backed Imran Khwaja as ICC President instead of Greg Barclay. The Kiwi was backed by India and eventually won the race. The truth, however, is far from it. At a time when our players were not covering themselves in glory, getting bowled out without utilizing the quota of 20 overs, you cannot simply point out to conspiracy theories.
After being in the doldrums for a few years, this year has seen not only the most diehard IPL fans in Sri Lanka tuning into the matches just because there are half a dozen of our players featuring in the competition. Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have all had their moments and you can be assured that moving forward there will be more Sri Lankan representation.
It is true that the national cricket team has been blowing hot and cold when it comes to shorter formats of the game but expect this to change. All these players who spend time in India will return home as more skilful players who are able to perform under pressure. The IPL would have given them a lesson or two about holding their nerve when the going gets tough. No other domestic competitions in the world helps players develop their game like the IPL.
Why the image of Sri Lankan cricket and its reputation took a beating a few years ago was because players were sitting on their past laurels and domestic competitions were not developing them to compete at the highest level. Suddenly when players started losing out financially they started to feel the pinch. While we did not see the best of several players who were part of the World Cup winning champion side of 2014, many are the lessons the younger lot can learn.
Obviously, the Lanka Premier League has been a godsend and the tournament has helped the country to nurture many young players. You seriously wonder about the fate of Maheesh Theekshana if not for the LPL. The mystery man was largely unknown and had not made an impact in domestic cricket. Thisara Perera, who plays for Sri Lanka Army alongside Theekshana, told the owners of the Jaffna Stallions (now Jaffna Kings) that this guy could be a handful. The rest, as they say, is history.
Many are the other players who have either developed their game or established themselves thanks to LPL. Leading into the tournament’s third edition there is lots of hope and this time with it being played in August, it gives players much needed exposure as the Asia Cup and the World Cup will be played after the event.
While the tournament will be an excellent platform for players to get into the groove, it also gives them an opportunity to stake claims for places in the senior side.
LPL had a few issues in the first couple of seasons but the fact remains that the good things outnumber the negatives. IPL too had its fair share of problems at the start but it has grown into a
glamorous sporting event. LPL may not be able to grow into something gigantic like the IPL but if it can become the equivalent of PSL or the Big Bash League, cricket in Sri Lanka will benefit immensely.
One of the things that you like to see is a few more franchises being added into the competition, ideally two for the time being so that more players will get exposure, more games and certainly more pay packages for players and others involved in the game. That will not only send the level of interest for the game high but will make the event bigger and better. One good thing that’s going to happen this year is that we will have a T-10 competition apart from the T-20 league.
In the first two seasons, the event had many hardships as they were played in bio bubbles and spectators’ capacity was limited in the last event. But all that is set to change this year and a grand tournament is expected.
