There are also human stories emerging from IPL 2009.
Until six months ago, Rahil Shaikh was a part-time cricketer who used to work as a physical trainer for a local school in Mumbai’s Kurla area. This was apart from doing other odd jobs which included repairing air-conditioners. As you can imagine, they weren’t the ideal circumstances to play cricket in.
But the 23-year-old Shaikh’s love for cricket remained strong, and his big break came when he was spotted at a net practice session by Sachin Tendulkar. Since then he has played domestic cricket for Mumbai. Now he finds himself a member of the Mumbai Indians, one of the T20 teams this season.
Then there is 18-year-old Kamran Khan, the left arm seamer, who will be representing the Rajasthan Royals. Unlike Shaikh, Khan hasn’t even played first-class cricket and now finds himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Shane Warne and Graeme Smith. Khan, who hails from Azamgarh, came to Mumbai a year ago to try his hand at cricket. He was spotted at a local T20 tournament in Mumbai by Darren Berry, the Rajasthan Royals’ coaching director. He was so impressed by Khan that he offered the teenager a contract worth Rs 12 lakh.
Khan and Shaikh’s stories have several things in common. They both dropped out of school due to financial constraints. Both remain sole breadwinners for their families. And now both of them find themselves in the middle of the biggest cricketing extravaganza.
Shaikh’s coach Naushad Khan says that the boy has a lot of talent, but when he first saw him bowl, he was “extremely raw”. The coach, in fact, is known for spotting great talent on the domestic circuit, and both Khan and Shaikh have been under his tutelage. “Kamran has a lot of talent, and I hope he gets the chance to show it at the IPL,” he says.
Khan played in the first Rajasthan Royals warm-up game against a local side and had everyone singing his praises. This is how Royals skipper Shane Warne was quoted after Khan made his debut: “We’ve got one young player who’s going to be very interesting. We’re tossing up now what his nickname is going to be... Wild Thing or Tornado, something like that. Kamran Khan is a young kid, a left-armer, a slinger, he’s a little guy but he bowls 140-plus.” Those are some words of praise for a rookie.
Yet his coach says that it is far too early to say anything. “By God’s grace, he has got this opportunity and it’s now up to him to cash in on it.”
Shaikh, on the other hand, played for the Mumbai team in this year’s Ranji Trophy. He, in fact, appeared on a reality show called Cricket Star where former cricketer Robin Singh was a judge. Shaikh then moved to Mumbai and played a warm-up game against the England team and took three wickets. “He is extremely quick, and in the last few months has really grown as a bowler,” says Khan. Shaikh has played three domestic games for Mumbai and might just get an opportunity in South Africa as well.
It’s not as if both these players will get a regular chance to play for their respective teams. But Khan is confident that they will come back as better players. “They just have to grab the opportunity with both hands if it comes their way,” says the coach.
As the first edition of IPL showed, despite the presence of big names, it’s players like Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, M S Gony or Swapnil Asnodkar who made the difference and showed just how hungry they were to prove a point and show their mettle. As Khan says, the IPL might be a money-spinning exercise but it’s a great vehicle for youngsters to make a name for themselves. Obviously, he’s one of the many players who is aware that an opportunity like T20 is critical for a cricketing career.
They might just end up being faces in the crowd — or, who knows, they might come home as household names. Either way, with their background, they will have come a long, long way.
