The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) will be into its third season come January and Jatin Paranjape, the head of the selection committee alongside Praveen Amre, feels the best part of the league is the second chance it gives aspirational cricketers.
With several budding cricketers either giving up on their dreams or losing their way due to external factors such as financial constraints or professional challenges, ISPL has been a huge platform in that regard and Paranjape vouched for that.
“I think a lot of these cricketers will make the transition to leather ball also, I feel. And if you look at the profile of a tennis ball cricketer, at some stage they have played proper leather ball cricket, you know. They have played for a club or they have played for a company or they are still playing for a company," Paranjpe said.
"They might have played state level under 19 also. Then somebody had an ACL tear and then they could never come back into the game. Maybe an injury happened or it was some financial difficulties. So, they were leather ball cricketers to start off with as well. And now, because they want to keep their passion for the sport alive, they are now playing tennis ball cricket."
"And that is why I love this concept so much that it is giving players a second chance at a shot of fame, basically. That is what I love about this concept," he added.
With 101 cities covered this time around and over 44 lakh registrations, the ISPL is growing exponentially and Paranjape feels the talent pool is burgeoning with each passing season.
"So, I have been involved with the league from day one and I have seen all the talent pools from day one. And in the second season, I was telling people that talent is better than the first season. In the third season, I am telling everybody that the talent is much better than the second season. So, I think I am super, super impressed, honestly," he said.
The ISPL has introduced a first-of-its-kind Speed and Endurance Test (SET) Score this time around and the former India cricketer felt it will give them a fair assessment of the physical ability of the players.
"Yeah, we wanted to also cast an eye towards the physicality of the players and the preparedness from a physical perspective. Because this is a fast game and the ISPL over 25 days will be a fast-paced, intensive kind of tournament."
"So, you know, the bodies have to hold up, basically. So, hence we are throwing a set score into the mix as well. Because then we can profile the players a little more accurately and deeply," Paranjape added.
ISPL in the last two seasons has been a platform that has produced some fine cricketers like Abhishek Dalhor and Irfan Umair who have succeeded in top flight cricket and Paranjape felt more would come from the stable.
“I don't want to name anybody because it puts kind of unnecessary pressure on the players. But I have seen so many fast bowlers who can definitely make the transition to leather ball cricket. To answer your question, the number of instances of players going and playing top flight red ball cricket will keep increasing year on year,” he added.
Paranjape revealed the most satisfying aspect of unearthing young talent and go on to excel at higher levels is seeing their evolution and the happiness of the families in their success.
“Just watching the hopefuls, you know, practice and play. I get very emotional about this because these are all players who want to make a name for themselves.
Make a name for themselves, for their father, for their mother, for their sisters, for their brothers, for their families. So, it is a great opportunity and a very big responsibility for Praveen Amre and me to be using all our experience to deliver the best outcome for these players who are putting a lot of trust in the league. At the end of the day, you are paying Rs.999. You are travelling from all corners of the country.
You are putting a lot of faith. So, I think what is happening slowly but surely is that ISPL as a brand is going to be an extremely trusted brand. You know, players and parents.
Now, we have the under-19 category also. And that's where the parents also are so keen on their children coming in for the ISPL trial because they know that this brand is authentic. So, I think the authenticity is something which Praveen and I always keep at the back of our heads,” he added.
