‘IPL too should have players from associates’

DUBAI: The BCCI’s decision to ask the franchisees to keep one spot for a player from the associate nation in the XI in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League has come as music to the years of cricketers from the associate nations. Former UAE captain Rohan Mustafa, who is playing for the Desert Vipers in the DP World ILT20 here, feels that it’s time that the boards of India and Pakistan introduce a similar rule in the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League too.
“I’ve been saying this for a long time. IPL and PSL should support associate countries like UAE. One player in every franchise team should be from the associate countries, especially nations in the Gulf which are near to India and Pakistan. If you see England, they support players from Ireland and Scotland, who play in England’s leagues as local players. In the case of UAE, players of Indian origin can play in the IPL, while players of Pakistan origin can play in PSL. Even if a player doesn’t get to play in the XI, he will get to share the dressing room with the top players, which will be great for our cricketers. There are top coaches in these leagues, and if a player learns even one small thing from them, it will help him in his career,” Mustafa told TOI at the ICC Cricket Academy here.
Mustafa fondly remembered a “heart-warming” gesture by former India captain Virat Kohli, who spoke to the UAE players when the two teams played each other during the group stage of the 2015 World Cup in Australia. “Virat was our favourite player. I still remember when we were sitting for breakfast, Virat came to us and he started chatting with us. We asked him to sit with us and he gave us five minutes. We didn't approach him, he came to us himself which was a very big thing for us. Virat Kohli was at the top in every format of the game at the time,” Mustafa recalled.
Kohli had asked Mustafa and Co. to “play with confidence and be brave.” “He told us a lot of things about the game. He asked us to play with confidence and be brave. So, that has helped us a lot,” said the UAE batsman, who had the fortune of opening the innings with English star Alex Hales for the Desert Vipers in the league.
Mustafa, who has featured in 57 ODIs has amassed 1188 runs at an average of 24.2. The 34-year-old has also played 55 T20Is, where he has scored 984 runs at an average of 20.9 and a strike rate of 121.3.
UAE have been making sporadic appearances in the big tournaments-they played in the 1996 and 2015 ODI World Cups, and last played in the 2016 T20 Asia Cup, where they finished fifth.