The 2024 season of the IPL ended with Sunrisers Hyderabad taking the runner up spot. But what added to the disappointment of losing the final was the fact that Sunrisers had not a single player who was from Hyderabad.
As of now, the IPL franchises do not have any obligation to include home players in the squad. But it is high time to take a relook at that policy. It would be a welcome move to bring in players of the home city not just in the SRH but in other IPL teams too.
In the case of Hyderabad, there was a piquant situation. Hyderabad’s best players namely Mohammed Siraj, Tilak Varma and Tanay Thyagarajan represented other teams and not Hyderabad. Siraj played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Tilak Varma donned the colours of Mumbai Indians and Tanay was in the Punjab Kings XI. It would have been proper if Sunrisers had made an effort to rope in these players.
In the 2024 IPL, uncapped players (those who have not played for India) made a big impact. One example was Mayank Yadav who played for Lucknow SuperGiants. He proved to be one of the best fast bowlers in the tournament. Why can’t SRH experiment with players from Hyderabad and give them an opportunity in at least one or two matches?
Different angles
Former Indian team player Noel David who is now one of the most experienced coaches in the city and is associated with the St. John’s cricket academy says that there are different angles to this issue. He feels that firstly all the Hyderabad players must do more to catch the eye with outstanding performances. Secondly they must get a lot of support and boost from the HCA.
“As everyone knows, every player needs a Godfather to argue his case at the highest levels. Without that push, no player can come up. Talent plus backing is needed for a player to get a place. Unfortunately our players are not getting the required amount of support from behind the scenes. Even now I feel that Hyderabad’s Ravi Teja would be successful in the IPL format. But there is nobody to promote him,” said Noel.
Performance & promotion needed
“Moreover the players must also perform well. They must realise the importance of getting big scores and wickets at national level tournaments. Hyderabad players must make themselves prominent and seize every opportunity with both hands. They must succeed in tournaments like the Mushtaq Ali trophy. Then SRH and other teams will notice them. That much is for the players to do. The two factors — performance and promotion — must go hand in hand,” he said.
HCA not in a position to ask SRH
Former cricket player Ahsan Khurshid who is a knowledgeable follower of the game feels that Hyderabad players are not being promoted in the required manner.
“To start with, the owners of SRH are not from Hyderabad nor do they have any compulsion to select players from Hyderabad. Moreover, there is not a single person in the HCA who has any standing to ask the owners to pick Hyderabad players. Because some of those who played the game at the highest level are tainted. So they do not have the face to demand anything from the SRH owners. This is why there is no player for Hyderabad in the SRH team,” he said.
Concerted effort required
So it is clear that there has to be a concerted effort. First of all Hyderabad players must do more to catch the eye of the IPL owners. It is not that Hyderabad has no talent. But the players must do well on the big occasions to grab the limelight. Then they have to be promoted by the HCA. Many of the other states have done a great job in pushing their players up the ladder. The HCA must wake up from its slumber and show the IPL owners what Hyderabad has got.
