‘If you think there is burnout then don’t play IPL’: Kapil Dev

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is barely a month away. IPL 2020 will begin with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on last year’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings in the opening match on March 29 this year. Right from its inception, IPL has been the breeding ground for young cricketers across the globe. It has given perhaps the biggest launchpad to the Indian youngsters and domestic cricketers, acting as the fastest route to the Indian side. But for the last few years, it has come under scanner for acting as an extra burden on cricketers who regularly represent India at the international level. Before the last edition, there were lot of talks about resting the top Indian cricketers keeping the fifty-overs World Cup in mind. Boards like Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia also pulled out players mid-way through the tournament, keeping workload in mind. Ahead of IPL 2020, former India world cup winning Kapil Dev has brought the matter to light.

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Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Kapil Dev said if players are facing burnout then they should skip IPL instead of thinking of resting from international fixtures.

“If you think there is burnout then don’t play IPL. I mean that’s not representing your country. If you think you are burned out then you can obviously take a break during the IPL,” Kapil told reporters in the HCL Grant’s felicitation ceremony.

Kapil also highlighted the difference between playing for a franchise and for the country. “IPL gives you exposure. And I don’t want to see anybody’s pocket (suffer), what they are making and all. I think when you represent your country, it should be a different feeling. It can’t be that you have more feeling for club cricket and not for the country,” Kapil added.

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The former India all-rounder also revealed that he also faced burnout many a times during his playing days. “Yes, I felt so many times. When you bowl series after series without much success… You feel burnt out when you’re not getting runs and wickets,” Kapil said.

The 1983 World Cup winning captain, stated that fatigue is a combination of mental and physical health. “You are never burnt out when you are scoring runs or taking wickets. When you take 7 wickets and bowl 25-30 overs a day you’re never tired. But when you go for 80 runs in 10 overs and don’t pick up a wicket you are very tired. So it’s an emotional thing too. Your mind and body work together. Performance will make you very light and happy,” Kapil added.

Interestingly, India captain Virat Kohli had highlighted the issue of tight scheduling when India straightaway went to New Zealand after playing a three-match ODI series against Australia. “It’s getting closer and closer to landing at the stadium straight. That’s how compressed the gap has become. This kind of travelling to a place that is seven and a half hours ahead of IST is difficult to adjust [to] immediately. I am sure these things will be taken into a consideration a lot more in the future,” Kohli had said on the eve of the first T20I against New Zealand.

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