Former West Indies captain Brian Lara on Tuesday praised the Indian Premier League (IPL) for promoting Twenty20 cricket, despite his being snubbed by big-pocket franchises at a recent auction. Lara, 41, remained unsold at the high-profile auction in Bangalore last week with the IPL owners gunning for youth rather than experience for the money-spinning tournament.
"I am not overly disappointed," Lara told reporters. "I have no resentment. But I think the owners missed the broader picture. The teams have 75 percent of young Indian cricketers. "I would have brought a lot of knowledge to the dressing room. I could have made a difference as a mentor to the team. At 41, I am not really looking at playing some 20-odd matches.
"I was looking at the IPL as an opportunity to continue my love affair with India. I will come again next year as I want to be a part of a successful unit. I want to contribute through my presence in the dressing room, team meetings." But Lara, whose 400 not out against England in Antigua in April 2004 remains a world Test record, was critical of the way players were auctioned off. "Honestly, I did not pay much attention to the auction. But I can say that the auction is not the greatest situation any player would want to be in. But if that is the way IPL wants to go about it, no problem.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.