Chennai: The Indian Premier League with its multi-million dollar deals, has changed the face of cricket, said former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who is in the city to play for Chennai Super Kings in the multi-million dollar league.
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Fleming, bought by the Chennai Super Kings for $350,000, admitted that he was "astounded" by the amount of money involved. "Like most players, I was astounded by the money involved in the IPL, but I feel it is going to be incredibly exciting and the league is something that has changed the face of cricket," Fleming said.
The sentiments were echoed by his former teammate and all-rounder Jacob Oram and Australian Michael Hussey.
While endorsing the IPL whole-heartedly, the trio felt that beneath the veneer of entertainment that Twenty20 cricket format projected, lay a lot of cricketing skills and something that cannot be overlooked.
"Yes, T20 is all about entertainment, but still you need cricketing skills to win matches and it is a complex game. There is also a lot of technique involved like the way you plan a chase or set a target, batting in the middle overs and such situations," said Fleming.
When specifically queried about the attitude and approach of the players in view of the huge fees, Fleming asserted that the choice was for the individual players to make. "Back home, questions were asked during the auction on the kind of money involved, but it for the players to decide on how they want to go about in their careers," he said.
Hussey said much the same as he expressed surprise at the fees the players commanded, but hastened to add that IPL was a "fantastic concept".
Oram, who cleared a fitness test with "flying colours" prior to departing for India, felt that a permanent slot could be provided for IPL in the international calendar. "It is for the ICC to come up with something to ensure that the IPL dates do not clash the international commitments of the countries," he said.
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The trio felt that players from different countries being in the same team would not be a big issue. Fleming said it was possible to work out the "dynamics" of the team once all the players get together.
Apparently, the senior players along with physio Gregory King have already had an unofficial meeting to work out the overall team strategy. "We have a few wise minds in our team and I am sure, we will be able to work out an appropriate strategy for the tournament," said Hussey.
Chennai Super Kings also signed up Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a whopping $1.5 million, Muttiah Muralitharan ($600,000), Matthew Hayden ($375,000), Parthiv Patel ($325,000), Joginder Sharma ($225,000), Albie Morkel ($675,000), Suresh Raina ($650,000) and Makhaya Ntini ($200,000).
