Gulf News experts and UAE opener Chirag Suri analyse first week’s action in IPL
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NewsTranscript
00:00IPL is just about a week old and it's too early to read into the preferences of teams.
00:05So far it's been quite interesting, I think, especially with the record total being broken.
00:11For a change this year, I think thanks to the two-bouncer rule,
00:15almost all the teams have gone face-heavy.
00:17It doesn't so much matter what results happen early on.
00:22We know statistically over the seasons,
00:25teams that do really well in the beginning don't necessarily go on to do well towards the end.
00:29Welcome to Gulf News video chat straight back.
00:36IPL is back, so are we.
00:39I'm Shyam Krishna and with me is sports editor Satish.
00:43We have two special guests today, Paddy Upton and Chirag Suri.
00:47Welcome to the show, guys.
00:50Thank you very much.
00:50Good to be here again.
00:53Nice to join you guys again.
00:55Yeah, these are two familiar faces.
00:58Paddy is the former mental conditioning coach of the Indian national team as well as of South Africa.
01:04Currently, I think he is taking over an assignment with the Indian hockey team as well.
01:08Now, Chirag, we all know he's played for the UAE.
01:11He's been an offer for the UAE team for several years.
01:13And he's also had played in the IPL a few years back.
01:17So we have a lot of cricket behind these exports today.
01:22Now, as for IPL, IPL is just about a week old
01:26and it's too early to read into the preferences of teams.
01:29Yet, nine games have gone by.
01:31Let's look at how the nine games have panned out.
01:35Now, Chirag, I'll head over to you first straight away.
01:39Now, what do you make of IPL this year?
01:42Any surprises so far?
01:45I mean, so far, it's been quite interesting.
01:48I think especially with the record total being broken at the start of the season,
01:54I think it's exactly the sort of intensity you need for a new season to start.
02:00It's got everybody watching.
02:02I think we've had some really entertaining cricket.
02:04Already a couple of close encounters.
02:06You know, games turning two, three times in a match.
02:12I think it's been quite interesting to watch.
02:15And as you said, it's too early to say too much.
02:18But I think I've enjoyed what we've seen so far.
02:22No real surprises for me.
02:24I think we've seen the teams who've done well in auctions.
02:30Yeah, I think everybody is going to fix and figure out their 11 in the coming games.
02:36And you'll see even better line-ups and more competitive cricket being played.
02:42Sanjeev, let me quickly come over to you.
02:44Have you noticed any changes?
02:46Any major changes in the teams or their approach or anything out of the ordinary?
02:53Yes, Shyam.
02:54I've been saying it a few times now.
02:56And the biggest change I see is earlier, there used to be solid spin-focused attacks.
03:04Every team would be having at least two, three good spinners.
03:08But for a change this year, I think thanks to the two-bouncer rule,
03:12almost all the teams have gone pace-heavy.
03:15I think that will make some of the teams pay a big price.
03:19It's what I guess as the match goes by.
03:22Because the match between Sunrisers and Mumbai was a big eye-opener.
03:27Because the Pacers couldn't do anything.
03:29And only the spinners who somehow brought the team back.
03:33And then even the Pacers had to rely on the cutters and slow bouncers to make an effort.
03:38So it's going to be very interesting as the IPL goes by.
03:43The team that's going to have good spinners are going to have a good share as the tournament
03:48progresses.
03:51Paddy, let me bring you in.
03:53You being the mental conditioning coach of Top Flight Sportsman,
03:56now you're with the Indian Hockey Team, I see.
03:58So did you get to watch the IPL this year?
04:03I have been following.
04:05I haven't watched ball-by-ball the nine games.
04:07But I've certainly followed each of the games.
04:09Either watching Samarth or definitely on Crickinfo as the games have unfolded.
04:15And for me, what I really look at is...
04:19I say look at because it's the stuff that counts is the stuff we can't see now.
04:24It doesn't so much matter what results happen early on.
04:28We know statistically over the seasons, teams that do really well in the beginning
04:33don't necessarily go on to do well towards the end.
04:37And I think it's teams now that...
04:39You know, we've seen, I think, five games being won batting first,
04:42four games being won batting second.
04:44So there's a nice even balance around the coin toss.
04:48What's important, it is the third year in this three-year auction cycle.
04:54So a lot of teams will be relatively settled.
04:56Some have got new players, particularly like the Mumbai Indians.
04:58They've got to have that big disruption with a new captain coming in.
05:02And these sort of first two, three weeks is more about
05:06teams finding their combinations on the field,
05:10teams gelling off the field.
05:12It's batsmen understanding each other and reconnecting
05:16with in terms of their calling and how they play
05:18and how they support each other in the middle.
05:21So this really is the team building phase.
05:26And results certainly in terms of winning IPL don't matter that much
05:30compared to how players, as I said, communicate, how they gel.
05:35IPLs very often are, you know, if you take the top players,
05:40both foreign and Indian players, generally over a course of a season,
05:44their performance cancel each other out
05:46because you expect decent performances from your top players.
05:49And very often the teams that do really well,
05:52it's the younger Indian players, the less experienced players
05:57who make those small contributions with bat and ball
06:01that get teams over the line, particularly in close games.
06:04It's the extra 10 runs that is scored by batters
06:07you don't expect to score the runs or bowlers
06:09who are able to close out some really important overs
06:12against big batters.
06:13So it's blooding the youngsters and the contributions
06:17of the lesser nine players often over the course of the 74-odd games
06:21will add up toward the end.
06:22And this is the building phase for that sort of off-field,
06:27less visible team building and team bonding
06:30that is actually going to see teams across the line by the end.
06:34Thanks, Bhavendra.
06:36Because in fact, that was precisely my question.
06:38What will it take the teams to last such a long tournament?
06:41Because it's a tournament of 74 matches.
06:44So, what will they be looking at in terms of mental fitness
06:49or mental strength?
06:51So, you know, it's not so much about…
06:57It's maintaining the speed of the decline.
07:02And when I say decline, it's the mental and emotional energy.
07:05Batteries get more and more drained over the course of the two months.
07:11So almost all in players or most players and most teams
07:14are going to end up with lower mental, emotional batteries
07:18than what they've got now.
07:19And it's a case of managing the speed and the angle of that decline.
07:27And things that decrease or decelerate the decline
07:31is things like a really happy team environment
07:34where players are getting on really well.
07:37Things like having a comfortable hotel is very important.
07:40Having clever travel schedules.
07:42Some teams, their management to save money,
07:45they choose cheaper flights.
07:47So they get players on early morning flights,
07:49which means disrupted sleep.
07:51So they might save some money,
07:53but they really deplete the team over time.
07:56You have other teams that are smart in terms of their travel
07:59and they allow late afternoon travel.
08:02Very often, it's more expensive,
08:04but in the long run, it actually pays the dividends.
08:09And the one other thing that really drains batteries, to be honest,
08:12is when you have a team that loses two or three games in a row.
08:16That really rips the heart to a degree out of a team.
08:19And if you have a team where you have owners that get very upset
08:23and put more pressure on the team when they lose two or three games,
08:28that further decreases the mental and emotional energy of a team
08:31compared to all teams will lose two or three games in a row,
08:34or most teams will.
08:36And when you've got a coach, a captain, and supporters that understand,
08:40I mean, and coach, captain, and owners
08:43that understand that you will lose two, three games,
08:45it's okay.
08:46It's how you respond to that, how you learn,
08:48and how you don't allow that to really deplete a team.
08:54So it's teams that manage those losses is really good.
08:57And similarly, wins.
08:58If you have three wins in a row, it doesn't mean that you're going to win the IPL.
09:01If you get overexcited and people cut corners and party too hard,
09:04that's when they're going to pay a price later
09:06compared to teams that manage two or three wins in a row really well.
09:10They don't get excited.
09:11They don't over party.
09:12They keep doing the hard work,
09:14knowing those wins are soon going to turn to one or two losses.
09:17So it's how coaches, captains, owners, the leaders manage the environment
09:25that counts a huge amount to what happens at the end of the tournament.
09:28And that stuff never appears on the scoreboard.
09:32Well, that is wonderful insight, Vali.
09:34Now, Chirag, now Mumbai Indians, we know, have been five-time champions.
09:40I mean, in fact, they hold a record.
09:43In fact, they joined holders with Chennai now.
09:46But they've not been having a good year or two in the last couple of years.
09:50So even before this IPL started,
09:53they got off to a back foot in the sense,
09:55they tried to change things around, bringing Hardik Pandey in.
09:58Last year, they had a change of coach.
10:00They brought Mark Mosher in.
10:02But this Pandey thing didn't go down well.
10:05Was it justified, the uproar?
10:08See, you know, like Paddy mentioned,
10:12I think there has been a lot of changes.
10:14And even if I see a Hardik Pandey,
10:17you know, him playing that first game in Gujarat,
10:20getting booed and, you know, things like that.
10:23Of course, he is a cool guy.
10:25He is going to be calm on the face in his interviews, post-match interviews.
10:29Everything, you know, he is smiling.
10:30He is laughing it off.
10:32And you know, we know Mumbai are slow starters.
10:34So, don't, you know, and even the way they have lost.
10:37They have made a game out of a match where they have, you know, gone for 270.
10:43And still, till the 18th over, they were in the game.
10:46So, only Mumbai Indians can do that.
10:49For me, they are a fighting team.
10:52And, you know, they have got some brilliant players in that.
10:55And they have some power, power batting.
10:57On the bowling front, I am not sure how well-balanced this team is.
11:02They still need to figure out their bowling options.
11:04It is still early days.
11:06You know, Pandey is getting, you know, accustomed.
11:09You know, he has come back.
11:10And there are lots of pressure on him.
11:12See, when you change a captain,
11:14when you remove, you know, a Rohit Sharma-caliber captain
11:18and you replace Pandey, the expectation.
11:20And, you know, there is a lot of pressure inside Hardik.
11:23You know, it is not easy.
11:24And I actually want to ask Paddy also, you know,
11:27what kind of things must be going on in Hardik Pandey?
11:29Because he is always going to try to compensate.
11:32Of course, at that level, he has done it.
11:34And, you know, for so many years, playing for India,
11:36he knows how to handle the pressure.
11:38But I feel this kind of pressure with the Ambanis and all that,
11:41you know, it is something different, Paddy.
11:43I don't know, what would you say?
11:47Yeah, you are right, Sirog.
11:48There is going to be that much more pressure on him.
11:52But that said, you know, I have been really, really impressed.
11:55I have done some work with Hardik.
11:57I am really impressed with his outlook on life,
12:00his outlook on leadership, his outlook on teamwork.
12:02He is a very team-oriented captain.
12:05He is one of the few captains that when the team does well,
12:09he gives all the credit to the team.
12:10The team does badly and he still does well.
12:13He takes all the blame on himself.
12:15So, in terms of his, you know, his leadership skills,
12:18his ability to shoulder responsibility,
12:22it is quite unique and quite exceptional.
12:25And it is going to be tested to the next level in this season.
12:30One, you know, there is pressure from the Ambanis to win games.
12:35He has come to Mumbai and he has taken over leadership
12:37from, you know, one of Mumbai's favourite IPL sons, at least in Rohit.
12:41So, that is really, really difficult.
12:43There is a difficult change room to manage between the two of them.
12:47But, you know, Hardik and Rohit are very different people.
12:50But they are very solid, very grounded.
12:54Hardik is obviously very flashy.
12:56But Rohit is a solid guy.
12:57He is a good guy.
12:58He is quite emotional.
12:59So, it is going to test both of their emotional maturity.
13:02And, you know, as men, both of them are definitely up to their test.
13:07And that is what international and top-level sport is about.
13:09It is about not just dealing the pressure between bat and ball.
13:12But when you are in a leadership position,
13:14there is fan expectations, sponsor expectations, own expectations.
13:18And if there is two guys who can handle it,
13:20it is going to be Rohit and Hardik.
13:22And it is not going to be a smooth journey.
13:24Yeah. Yeah.
13:25No, I feel like, I agree with you.
13:27I think the way I have seen Rohit bat in the first couple of games,
13:30you know, he has had that sort of license that,
13:32you know, that little extra pressure of captaincy is away.
13:36You can tell.
13:37He is Rohit Sharma, the batsman.
13:38He is enjoying himself.
13:39You know, he is going, playing his shots from ball one.
13:42He is expressing himself.
13:44Just on the field when, you know, Hardik said,
13:46oh no, it is you. You have to go back.
13:48You know, that was a very funny incident in the game.
13:51And Rohit Sharma was like, me?
13:52And Hardik said, yeah, you need to go back.
13:55That was a very funny moment.
13:56And you know, these cameramen, they captured it very wisely.
13:59So, it is quite interesting to see.
14:01And I think, yeah, it will definitely be one of the big talking points of this year's IPL.
14:07Definitely.
14:07Yeah.
14:10Satish, like Chirag said, despite the change in captaincy,
14:17Mumbai hasn't fared too well.
14:18I mean, two matches is too early.
14:22And also, Mumbai has always been slow starters.
14:24I know most IPLs, if I remember, they lose their first match.
14:28So, they are notoriously slow starters.
14:31But we know Mumbai has not been doing well in the last couple of seasons.
14:35What exactly is going wrong with them?
14:37Is it the team?
14:39Is it the balance of the team?
14:40Is it the mental makeup?
14:41What's going wrong?
14:43I think what has happened is, Sharma, cricket is all about confidence.
14:48When you are doing well, that confidence helps you to perform
14:51and then believe that you could win the matches.
14:54But here, last couple of seasons, they have not done well.
14:57So, that must be playing on their mind.
15:00I think…
15:00And also, what has happened is, they have lost some of the good players.
15:04Like, Pollard has retired.
15:06Tenfold has gone.
15:08So, these are some of the players that, time and again,
15:11they used to deliver when the team was in trouble.
15:14So, again, the other good point is, for them, this year or rather last two years,
15:19their players like Tilak Verma or Naman, they are coming and trying to bridge that gap,
15:25which takes time.
15:26But what I also see is, more than the batting, they somehow have the batting.
15:30And once Suryakumar Yadav comes back, if and when,
15:33they have a good batting.
15:34But it is still the bowling that is giving them the trouble.
15:37Last year, they didn't have Bumrah.
15:38Last year, they didn't have a good fast bowler.
15:42So, that way, they are always on the back foot.
15:45And even this year, they have Bumrah.
15:48But the support bowlers are not yet picked.
15:51And then, they are trying out various options.
15:53So, this is one area, I think, where Farhadeg says that we have to set certain things right.
15:59I am sure he would be looking at the bowling.
16:00Because you can't give 277 runs on any wicket if the bowling…
16:06If you have some decent spinners, decent bowlers, who could come and keep the batting under check.
16:11So, I think, as you said, they are also slow starters.
16:15But I still feel that this year, they will come back and show better than what they have done
16:21in the last two years, announcement-wise.
16:23Yeah.
16:24And let's not forget…
16:26Yeah.
16:26So, just on that.
16:27Let's not forget the importance of having a really good big auction each three-year cycle.
16:33And when Mumbai spent a lot of money on Joffre Archer, it was a big risk.
16:37They spent a lot of their money.
16:38And they lost that opportunity once they had moved out of that auction.
16:43You know, Joffre Archer not pitching up, not being able to bowl.
16:46A lot of money was sunk into him.
16:48And a lot of opportunity was used up that was very difficult to recover.
16:51So, it's a lesson.
16:53You know, when a team makes a big mistake or an unfortunate mistake in the Joffre Archer case,
16:58it sometimes takes you three years to recover from it.
17:01And you have to wait for the next big auction.
17:02So, I think they're still suffering from that.
17:05Yeah.
17:05Well, Paddy, we'll stay with you.
17:07And we're again coming back to the captaincy thing.
17:10Okay, let's leave aside Hardik Pandya.
17:12Hardik Pandya is not the only team.
17:14We have Pat Cummins coming into Sunrisers Hyderabad, taking over from Aydin Macron.
17:18Then we have Shreyas Iyer coming back from injury to take over a couple of Knight Riders.
17:22We have Rishabh Pant coming back there.
17:26So, there have been changes of captains.
17:27Of course, we have a totally, absolutely new novice captain for the Chennai Super Kings.
17:32So, how does a change of captaincy affect the teams?
17:39Well, that's a very good question.
17:42A change in a significant leadership position always has a significant impact.
17:49That said, if you have a team that's got a really solid coach and a solid set of senior
17:54players and you get a new captain, the leadership influence is still relatively stable.
18:01Then the new captain, it's a lot easier for them to come in because they come into a stable
18:05leadership team or ship.
18:08Where you have a situation where you don't have a very strong leader or a coach or you
18:13don't have a divided and united group of senior players and you get a new leader in,
18:18then it brings in a very different windblow into the sails of that ship.
18:25So, Mumbai Indians, you've got a fairly new coach in Mark Boucher who's not established.
18:29You've got a new captain.
18:30That's very disruptive.
18:32Where some of the other teams, you've got someone who's come from within the team who's
18:35been in the leadership role anyway or in the leadership team or group within that team
18:41and now they're just stepping into the title of captain.
18:43It's a lot smoother and easier and less disruptive transition.
18:49Hardik Pandey is not the only talking point of this live at PLL.
18:56I don't think Kohli can stay away from controversy.
18:59Controversy seems to follow him wherever he goes.
19:02Now, the huge talk about Kohli is at risk of being dropped from the India World Cup T20
19:09team.
19:10It looks like he has to keep proving all over again every single time.
19:14Your thoughts, Dhirag?
19:17I don't know whether to believe these kind of comments or not because I think going into
19:24any World Cup, if you have Virat Kohli available fit, I think there's no question about having
19:30him in your team.
19:32He proved it in Australia.
19:34He proved it last year at the 50-over World Cup.
19:36I think, how many times does he have to prove it?
19:39I think it's silly to have such remarks or even questions asked about someone who's so
19:45dedicated and who's done so much for your country.
19:49I think these kind of people, like Patty said, when you have that core senior players around
19:55those young players, it also makes younger players.
19:59I've been in teams where you've played with the likes of Virat Singh, the Joe Roots.
20:04They make you feel calm.
20:06They make you feel confident.
20:07They tell you to believe in themselves.
20:08When you have these kind of things coming from these kind of players, it makes a big,
20:13big impact on you and gives you that big confidence boost.
20:18Like Satish said, cricket is a confidence game.
20:21It's a feel-good game.
20:22If you're feeling good, trust me, you will perform.
20:26Even if you're the best batter and you're not feeling well, you're not feeling good
20:30about yourself, you're not in a good mood mentally, not well, you're not going to be
20:34able to perform.
20:34Your chances of success are very, very low.
20:37When you're not feeling good.
20:38So, I think Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, both of them definitely should be there.
20:45I would definitely like to see the likes of maybe Yashaswi Zaid, Jaiswal.
20:49I think Riyan Parag really impressed me last game.
20:51I think we always, you know, India need that finisher, like number seven-ish, you know,
20:57to get us going really quick.
20:59I think Tilak Varma is also in the mix.
21:01So, it'll be interesting to see, you know, what kind of squad we go with for the World
21:06Cup.
21:06But definitely, we love watching some of the guys.
21:10I mean, the opening slot is very, very tight.
21:12Of course, we have so many players now.
21:14You know, Shubh Mangal, Yashaswi Zaid, Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma has done well in the last
21:20game.
21:21And it's lovely to see that competition.
21:23Rohit is still there.
21:27Rohit is definitely there.
21:28Rohit is our captain.
21:30Mr. Jaish has said that already.
21:32Jaish has said that already that Rohit Sharma will be the captain for the World Cup.
21:35So, that's not changing.
21:38No, but Shyam, I'm sorry to interrupt.
21:42Paddy, just because you've worked with Kohli in the recent past and you've seen him come
21:47out of the dull period that he had.
21:51Do you think this kind of talk would help him?
21:54And what kind of a mentality he has got, Paddy?
21:57Just to give us a little perspective about Kohli's mindset.
22:01I mean, Kohli's mindset at the moment and for the last while has been as good as you
22:07could possibly want it.
22:10He's, number one, incredibly confident in his game.
22:14The reason he's incredibly confident in his game is he trains, he prepares physically
22:18and technically and tactically better than probably anyone else in the world game at
22:23the moment.
22:24So, it's like going into an exam.
22:27If you've studied the whole book, you can be fully confident.
22:30Virat studies the whole book.
22:31He knows his game.
22:31He knows what he needs to do.
22:32He's got supreme confidence and he's that big match player.
22:36The one thing that he might need to do going forward in T20 cricket is the degree to which
22:45you value your wicket is a really important currency and Virat has possibly been guilty
22:51in the past of valuing his wicket a little bit too much or looking to bat a bit deeper.
22:57Once you've got really powerful players around you and you can rely on all top seven
23:02players, that frees someone like Virat to play more freely.
23:06When you don't have bankers around you and really players that are sort of seven good
23:10bats on either side of you, then you do need to carry your bat a bit longer and bat deeper
23:14into the inning.
23:15So, very often it's who you've got around you, number one, and Virat has got the game
23:22that he could strike at 160.
23:25He generally will strike at 120, 130 early on in his innings, then move it up to 140,
23:30maybe 150.
23:32Depends on how long he bats.
23:34He might need to move that up and move up, sort of start at 130, 140 and get up to 150,
23:40160 quite quickly.
23:42He has every ability in the world to be able to do that.
23:46Lovely.
23:47Excellent.
23:48In fact, that exactly was my question.
23:53Back to the field again.
23:55We have had Rishabh Pant back on the field after what was a severe injury, which we thought
24:01would take him longer.
24:02He is back and he has been batting good.
24:04Your thoughts on how he is shaping up?
24:06Oh, just happy to see him back.
24:09I think he is a great gutsy cricketer.
24:11The Indian team has missed him.
24:13Delhi Capitals have definitely missed him.
24:14So, they will definitely be happy to have him back.
24:17And yeah, it's always tough coming back from injuries.
24:22I also had an injury a couple of years ago with my hamstring.
24:25And then, just the recovery phase, you always have these doubts that,
24:30will I be the same?
24:32Will the injury restrict me in any way?
24:35And he has had multiple injuries with the accident.
24:38So, I think mentally, he is such a strong guy.
24:41I have had the pleasure of being around him a few times and even speaking to him and stuff.
24:46And he is so, so strong mentally.
24:48He is… I think he really is…
24:51The kind of attitude he has for a young player is amazing to see.
24:55And definitely, we are happy to see him back.
24:59And looking for him to do well.
25:02Because it's very important for the Indian team as well that he has a good IPL.
25:07And his confidence is back high.
25:09Not sure how, whether he will be considered for the T20 World Cup.
25:12It will all depend on the performances and what his body is after the IPL.
25:18But it will be interesting to see.
25:20Definitely an asset.
25:22Especially with the shots he plays all around the ground.
25:25And definitely, I think, it will be interesting to see how he goes this year.
25:32Perry, let me bring in the same issues right away.
25:35Tell us, how difficult or how does it…
25:39What does it take for somebody to come off such a grievous injury to get back into top flight cricket?
25:45What does it take?
25:49Well, the first thing, it takes time.
25:52And it takes…
25:53And quite right, every player will come back with some doubt.
25:59Is this going to play up?
26:00How is it going to play out?
26:01Is it going to recur?
26:02Will I recover?
26:02How is it going to affect me?
26:05And the only way, really, to have those questions answered is to go and test it.
26:10And then they go back, they go and sprint.
26:12And it's like, okay, that was okay.
26:14Maybe I can relax next time and sprint a little bit longer.
26:17And then if they pass that test just for themselves, it's like, okay, that was okay.
26:21So, it's just a case of time and exposure so that the body can help overcome those doubts
26:29that are naturally there.
26:30Any amounts of mental conditioning coaching can help to get somebody a bit more positive
26:36and a bit more confident in their body.
26:39But nothing replaces just repeated exposure over and over again.
26:44And each time it passes the test, it's another notch up in the confidence ladder.
26:48There is an interesting pattern emerging here.
26:50All nine matches have been won by the home teams.
26:54What do you make of it?
26:56I think the home teams are now either preparing the wickets according to the stats or they
27:03know the conditions better.
27:05So, they are picking the right teams.
27:06So, either one side.
27:08It's really surprising how nine out of nine you could get it right.
27:12Yesterday, I think Delhi, at one point of time, were threatening to overchange it.
27:17Other day, even for that matter, Mumbai was very close to changing it.
27:22That's why it's chasing a big total.
27:24But yes, this is another pattern which is emerging this year.
27:29But also, what is also happening, Shyam, like the two-ball bouncer rule is also helping
27:35teams because they could reduce that many number of balls to score.
27:39So, that is also helping.
27:40Of course, it doesn't have any connection to the home team or away team.
27:44But certainly, when the teams are chasing, we saw that in Sunrisers, they used it quite
27:51effectively to not allow the batsmen the chance to score freely.
27:57So, these are some of the traits that are coming out.
27:59Again, it's pretty early to see how long this trend will go on.
28:04Because obviously, it's not going to be easy as such a long tournament is progressing.
28:12Now that you bring up Sunrisers, let's stay with Sunrisers.
28:15Chirag, I am coming over to you with the Sunrisers question for you.
28:18Sunrisers, we know, has not been having a very good last so many years.
28:23In fact, they even threw out their talismanic captain David Warner in pretty unfortunate
28:29circumstances.
28:30This time, they are looking a little different.
28:32In fact, last match, they scored a 277, a record total against the Mumbai Indians.
28:38Now, one major change we see is the arrival of Pat Cummins as captain.
28:41We also have Travis Head opening the batting.
28:45Otherwise, they are pretty much the same team from last year, which is a good batting
28:48lineup.
28:48That includes Aydan Markrum and Rich Claassen.
28:51So, what do you think of their prospects this year?
28:56Very, very solid batting lineup, Shyam.
28:58I think, as Paddy says, they have that right mix of senior cricketers.
29:06Especially with Pat Cummins coming in.
29:08World Cup winning captain.
29:11He has done well in these conditions in India.
29:14He knows these grounds well.
29:15He has played a lot of cricket in India over the years.
29:19The way it has freed off even Aydan Markrum.
29:22The way he is batting.
29:23And Rich Claassen.
29:24Travis Head.
29:26He didn't even play the first game.
29:27That's the depth of their squad.
29:29Look at even the foreign and Indian depth of their squad.
29:32All their top players.
29:34Their expensive buys.
29:36The Indians or the overseas.
29:38They are doing well.
29:39Plus, the youngsters like Abhishek Sharma stepping up.
29:43And that's where the difference comes.
29:47Because when these guys start performing for you,
29:49that's when you get that extra 10%, 20% edge.
29:52And it eases off the pressure of the international and your Indian senior players.
29:56So, that's what's been done really well in the first couple of games.
29:59And so far, early days still.
30:00But they are looking like a really good squad.
30:02And especially the way Pat Cummins is coming in with those slower bouncers.
30:07And bowling those into the wicket.
30:10Getting that sort of tennis ball bounce.
30:12I think they really have their plan sorted.
30:14And it will be interesting to see how they go now.
30:17Yeah.
30:18Alright. Before we wrap up, my favourite question of the day.
30:23Over to Satish.
30:24Which is the team to watch this year?
30:26I will give you a…
30:28One thing is, you can't say Chennai Super Kings.
30:31But Shaan, unfortunately, I see four teams have a very good mix.
30:37Again, sorry to go back to the previous one.
30:39Sunrisers, that is the one problem, Shaan.
30:41Sunrisers are the only team to give away more than 200 runs in both the matches.
30:46So, they have to score in excess of 200-250 close to win that game.
30:51They have the batting.
30:52But will they be able to depend on that every match?
30:55It's going to be a big question.
30:56Every match is going to be a big question.
30:59We will have to see whether they will be able to do it.
31:02But coming back to the question.
31:04I see Chennai has got a very good mix of batsmen, fast bowlers, spinners, all rounders.
31:09I said not Chennai.
31:10Any other team.
31:11No, no.
31:12No, but I see the next good team who could also come up is Rajasthan.
31:17They have a very good mix of fast bowlers, spinners, batsmen as well.
31:21And then you have Kolkata who have the same mix.
31:26And I would say, these are the three teams to watch.
31:29And probably, I would go Bangalore as the fourth team who has got, not the perfect mix,
31:36but somewhere there where you have Papp and Kohli to offset whatever the shortcomings
31:42are there with that bowling.
31:43Whereas Siraj is a much better bowler these days than what he is in the past.
31:47So, I would go with these four teams who could be going up towards the play-off.
31:56That's what my gut feels.
31:58Paddy, what about you?
32:00Which are the teams to watch according to you?
32:03So, I look at it, because of my role, look at it slightly differently.
32:07I look at a relatively balanced team.
32:11Not the most balanced team.
32:12Who's got a leader and a captain who's going to keep the team together over the course
32:17of the season.
32:18A coach who's going to work really well with that captain and creates just a really good
32:22environment that towards the end of the tournament, that team is in the best possible space.
32:26So, I'm not going to tell you which ones, because then I'm going to sort of be talking
32:31about who I rate as the good coach-captain combinations in terms of their leadership
32:37ability.
32:38And that's probably, from my role, an unethical thing to say.
32:41But for me, that's what I look at.
32:44A team with a decent balance of players, which most of them have got.
32:48But it's going to be the leadership that holds them together, that I think plays a
32:53big part.
32:53And we've already mentioned it, that good leadership also makes the young players feel
32:59very comfortable.
33:00It gets the best out of them.
33:02It doesn't criticize them or be too harsh when they make mistakes.
33:05It's very supportive when they make mistakes, as opposed to drop them or criticize them
33:09when they make mistakes.
33:10And the management of those younger Indian players, it's very unseen, but it's critical
33:17in getting them into a good, confident mental space to be able to recover from mistakes
33:22that they're going to make and still deliver for their team in the next game.
33:25And as Chirag said, when that happens, when the youngsters deliver, it takes some pressure
33:30off the senior players, the top players.
33:32They're able to play with more freedom because they trust the youngsters.
33:36And then you start getting an energy or combination that actually wins IPLs, as opposed to
33:41statistics and how, you know, and track records of players.
33:45It's the mental space that is maintained over the two months.
33:48Fair enough.
33:50But Chirag, you can't say the same thing.
33:53You have to pick your teams.
33:57I'm not picking.
34:00I have a feeling that I like, I think Punjab 11, Punjab Kings is going to surprise a few
34:07teams this year.
34:07I just have a feeling that they have a good mix of bowlers.
34:12Fast, medium spin.
34:14They've got a nice little squad.
34:16I really like Shikhar Dhawan as a captain as well.
34:18Like Paddy said, great leader.
34:20Super, super calm.
34:21And you know, very relaxed personality.
34:24Relaxed in the sense that he lets our players express themselves.
34:29Not very pushy in terms of, you know, his approach.
34:32He likes to, you know, leave it to the players.
34:35That's his sort of leadership style.
34:37And I think some of the players are going to thrive under those conditions.
34:40Still early days.
34:41They've won a game.
34:42They've lost a game.
34:43But I feel that's a team that will surprise us and win good matches this year.
34:46They have a nice balanced squad, definitely.
34:49Well, that's great.
34:51Well, that's all from us today.
34:52And do come back to gulfnews.com every single Friday because we will have straight back
34:58for you every, every week.
35:00Now, for breaking news and updates, head over to gulfnews.com and all our social media channels.
35:05Thank you, guys.
35:06Thank you for the excellent chat.
35:08Goodbye.