The coronavirus pandemic has put an indefinite pause to the cricket calendar, and that includes the Indian Premier League. Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Kuldeep Yadav sees the silver lining as he says IPL could be the first tournament to happen once things get back to normalcy.
Kuldeep Yadav on IPL 2020:
The cash-rich tournament IPL was supposed to kickstart on March 29. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has put a halt on all cricketing activities. Kuldeep believes the popular T20 tournament could be prioritized ahead of other competitions.
“If cricket happens, I feel the first tournament that will take place is the IPL. Currently, the situation isn’t great in the country. Even the World Cup (ICC World T20) is under a cloud. In my opinion, the IPL should happen and if it happens, it will be a great start,” Kuldeep told Sportskeeda.
The chinaman also put forward his thoughts on the IPL taking place behind closed doors. Kuldeep said playing cricket with empty stands could benefit the bowlers as batters often get excited seeing jampacked crowd and therefore go after the bowlers.
There is also a debate brewing related to the shining of the cricket ball with sweat and saliva. Many feel the practice should be discouraged as it could result in contagious infections. The Internationa Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to take a call on the above subject. However, Cricket Australia has announced a ban on using saliva and sweat on the cricket ball.
It will take time to adjust: Kuldeep Yadav
“Will be tough for bowlers because of the discussions around rubbing saliva on the ball on the ball. It will take time to adjust, maybe a month for batsmen to get used to everything. We will probably get a month’s time to prepare before the next tournament, but if we have a quick start, this will be a plus point for the bowlers,” Kuldeep opined.
The 25-year-old has played 40 matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders so far. A gig in the IPL earned him a call-up into the national fold, and the spinner hasn’t looked back since. He has bagged 39 wickets in the league. Kuldeep will yet again be KKR’s go-to spinner with veteran Windies spinner Sunil Narine likely to get back into action, having nursed an injury.
