Despondency and anguish pervaded the corridors of the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) as only one of the eight shortlisted cricketers came under the hammer at the eleventh edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League in Bengaluru.
Barring flamboyant middle-order batsmen Ricky Bhui, no one found a place in the team selection process of the eight franchisees. Even Ricky Bhui was sold to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the base price of ₹20 lakhs.
According to ACA secretary Ch. Arun Kumar, of the 20-odd players who had sent their performance chart to the IPL Governing Council, eight were added to the auction list. “The shortlisted names were skipper Hanuma Vihari, K.S. Bharat [wicket-keeper], D. Sumanth, Ricky Bhui, D.B. Ravi Teja, Bhargav Bhat, C. Stephen and B. Ayyappa.”
So far only five players played in the earlier editions of the IPL since its inception in 2008. Medium pacers D. Kalyan Krishna, Paidikalava Vijay Kumar, Y. Venugopala Rao and D. Sumanth played for Hyderabad franchise Deccan Chargers while all-rounder Shahabuddin represented the Mumbai Indians.
Many administrators and coaches felt while the ACA was in the forefront for sprucing up quality playfields and stadiums in 13 districts, it must go the extra mile to promote the popular T-20 format in a big way for the benefit of players and the game.
“The ACA should introduce the Andhra Premier League (APL) which was planned to promote the T-20 format. The grandiose tournament was shelved because of lack of sponsorship. But it is time the ACA itself conducted it as it will give the all-important platform for the players in competitive games. This tournament will also help them do well in the BCCI T-20 formats and thus draw the attention of the IPL Governing Council and the franchisees,” felt a senior coach.
Coaches also felt that conducting the Andhra Premier League would not be a problem as the ACA had nurtured several top class stadiums and playfields. “We need to devote extra time and money to the development of the T-20 format, which opens doors to the million-dollar Indian Premier League,” a senior administrator opined.
