'IPL is probably the biggest tournament in the world' - Owais Shah

The Indian Premier League is a platform where talent meets opportunity, where obscure talents and future stars are unleashed year-after-year. Besides the financial returns that it dishes our, it is a platform which gives an opportunity to a youngster– not only from India but from around the world– to play with and against the best players in the world.

Not only does the high-pressure environment of the Indian Premier League tests a player’s skillset, but it also challenges their temperament, which in a way helps them later while making a transition to International cricket. And, for precisely the exposure that the cash-rich leagues give, former England and IPL cricketer Owais Shah has named the cash-rich league as the biggest tournament in the world.

“It’s probably the biggest tournament in the world, the most followed. If you look at countries like America, apparently that is the country where the IPL is followed the most outside of India. Then you throw in the financial rewards that are on offer for the players and when you put that together as a package, it is a great, great competition and that is what makes it so big. When you are involved in it, it is something that you do not experience anywhere else in the world” Owais Shah said as quoted by Sky Sports.

Shah revealed how from fans to the team hotel staff-everyone knows the stats of the players inside-out. “As an example, outside your team hotel there are lots of people 24/7 waiting just to get a glimpse of a player maybe leaving to get some food or something, they are there for a photo opportunity.

“Then in your hotel, if you order food to your room, the guy who brings your food will have all the details of how you performed in the IPL, not just that year but the last two or three years. Their knowledge is ridiculous and the whole country just lives and breathes cricket.”

‘IPL is perfect to unleash one’s talent’: Owais Shah

Shah feels that the likes of Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer playing the IPL have helped their game immensely and with the men’s T20 World Cup just a few months away, the IPL is a perfect platform for England to beef up their preparations.

“Eoin Morgan has played a lot of IPL cricket, Jonny Bairstow has done really well in the last couple of years then you’ve got Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and all these guys have really benefitted from playing T20 cricket in the IPL,” he said.

According to Shah, the tournament is a perfect platform for any youngster to unleash his talent and once he does that, besides the obvious financial returns, his stock as a cricketer blows through the roof.

“It is just a great place to go and show off your skills and it can really impact your whole career… when you perform at the IPL, your value really goes up because when that auction comes around the following year, guys are putting up their paddle to bid for you and the financial rewards can be ridiculous as the likes of Tymal Mills and Stokes have experienced.

He added: “As a professional cricketer, you want to almost tell the world how good you are and to announce yourself on the IPL stage sends the message out to the rest of the world, followers of T20 cricket, that this guy has arrived.”

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