VBC becomes owner of TNPL team
2010- 'Do you call that cricket' (on IPL)
2016- 'It is a breeding ground for spotting and grooming talent' (on TNPL)
Many
years ago, in the aftermath of quitting CSK, VB Chandrasekar ( what ever he does he will remain one of my favourite cricketers from the 80s) had remarked to me
‘Do you call that (IPL) cricket’? Yes, if it was not cricket ( that we had all come to live with), it was fine not to be part of it. 'It is not real cricket'.
How
things and perspectives change in life. And how we, as human beings, grab
luring opportunities letting go of our past comments and our philosophies on even things that are so close to our heart ( and real cricket is for VBC).
Over
the last couple of months, VBC grabbed a high profile Tamizh commentary
opportunity to take IPL to the Tamizh
households. He was away from his VBCA flood lit summer camp most of this summer
instead engaging in an IPL commentary stint from the studios in Bombay.
And
yesterday he has become a proud owner of a TN PL (PL) team. Do you call this cricket in 2010 has now in
2016 become ‘this is a great talent spotting arena’.
'TNPL is where you can spot talent and groom them for the future'!!!!
Michael
Holding remains one of the very few prominent past cricketers to publicly make
his displeasure known (about T20) and to stick to that and stay away from the
financial lure.
The
lure of Name and Fame and the possibility of huge bucks in the long term (and
may be a return to IPL once CSK is back) has got VBC back into the Premier
League much against his stated views on PL and this shorter form of cricket.
One
hopes he will have a longer stint in this shorter form than he has had with the Indian team (as a
player), the IPL (as a mentor) and the TN team (as coach) now that he is the
owner and has the ultimate decision making power.
We used to play street cricket in Srirangam in the 1960s. There was a player by name Venkatraman.
ReplyDeleteWe used to call him 'Patta Four Pataatti Bowled'. If he connected it went to the boundary. If he did not, he would be bowled. His claim to fame in street cricket was that he swung wildly at the ball and sometimes when he connected, with his power, the ball went over the huge walls of the Srirangam temple and we had to go all the way around the streets to get the ball back from inside the temple.
He would have been an ideal T20 player today.
Cricket or Temple- it is all about money today.
So Mr. Chandrasekar going after this despite his earlier comments is no surprise.
Sampath
I was just thinking about you this morning and wondering if you will write an article about this development! :-)
ReplyDeletenice:-)
ReplyDeleteGood read.
ReplyDeleteIs TNPL big in terms of investment. Is it going to have foreign players.
Sorry to be stating this. How many cricketers has his academy produced??
ReplyDeleteCrisp article with candid view. Appreciate your frankness.
ReplyDeletePoint I am trying to say is he's not good at nurturing talent
ReplyDeleteIt is all about money. Many of our parents have always ridiculed us saying 'cricket sooru poodadhu' it is paying for so many of the present and past cricketers now due to the 20/20 format. It is keeping so many cricketers from retiring including our beloved writer (not for money in his case).
ReplyDeleteMake hay while the sun shines.I wont blame him only blame the circumstances.
GOOD ONE PRABHU.
ReplyDeleteTHEY ARE NOT PROMOTING / NURTURING THE CRICKET. SIMPLY LOOTING BY ALL MEANS.
Why are you surprised at all ?
ReplyDeleteThis is the standard line of any astute professional cricketer ;)
Oh, okay. Did not know that. I believed in VBC a bit:-)
ReplyDeletePrabhu
Dear Shri. Karthik,
ReplyDeleteHe may not have produced too many as a coach, though as a captain he did get the best out of a lot of players.
Prabhu
Dear Shri Vijay (don't know why you have your id as DOG)
ReplyDeleteI have only expended in cricket.
And there have been no takers for me even in the 30 man league squad in the last 2 years.
Prabhu
I think TNPL will have only TN state players for the moment. Investment will be in crores each year.
ReplyDeletePrabhu