Hyderabad: Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the elite leagues around the world and it always provides opportunities for players, who are emerging through the ranks.
The cash-rich league will enter its 17th season this year and many more young cricketers will get a chance to showcase their skill in front of the spectators. The mini-auction for the IPL 2024 was conducted last year and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc turned out to be the most expensive player in the bidding.
Sharing his opinion regarding the IPL, former India stump and Star Sports Telugu commentator MSK Prasad said that the tournament has provided immense benefit for Indian players.
"New players are getting opportunities after the arrival of the IPL. World's top players playing the league helps young players to grow. (India opener) Yashaswi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh have grown step by step using the platform," Prasad, who played six Tests and 17 ODIs, told ETV Bharat in an exclusive interview.
MSK Prasad, who represented Andhra in the domestic circuit, also added that popularity of the tournament is increasing every day beyond expectations.
"IPL will be held with double enthusiasm this time around. Every match will be exciting and the fans are more keen to watch an IPL game as compared to the World Cup fixture. Every year new crop of young players emerge from the league and it will be the same this year as well," reckoned Prasad, who has 4,021 first-class runs.
The former chairman of national selection committee also cited the example of some of the youngsters scripting success stories in the tournament.
"Yashasvi (Jaiswal) is excelling in T20, ODI and Test formats. (India pacer) Mohammad Siraj, the son of an auto driver from Hyderabad, has become the world's number one white-ball cricketer thanks to the start of the IPL. IPL will bring out young players in the future as well. IPL has become a blessing for Indian cricket," he concluded.
The upcoming 17th season of the IPL will be aired on Star Sports Network.
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