IPL contract will be next level for Netherlands players after WC show: Coach Ryan Cook
The Hindu
Neth. coach Cook hopes IPL franchises take notice of players' performances in WC; 2 Dutch players have played in IPL; Cook cites quality & availability as reasons for leagues to look at Dutch players; Cook excited to take on India & expects them to come hard; No cricket after WCQ hampered prep; Cook fond of extended stay in Bengaluru.
The spirited Netherlands have given a good account of themselves in the World Cup and their coach Ryan Cook on Saturday hoped that some of the players might have evoked interest among the IPL franchises ahead of this year's auction.
Netherlands are 10th on the points table with four points but they have scored memorable wins over semi-finalists South Africa and Bangladesh in the tournament.
The player auction ahead of the IPL 2024 will be held in Dubai on December 19, and Cook said being part of the league will be a huge step-up for his players.
"IPL would be a great experience for our players and that would be sort of the next level. But even just any of the other leagues as well would be welcomed from the players' point of view – the experience that they can gain in that space," said Cook during his pre-match press meet ahead of the match against India here on Sunday.
Cook pointed at the quality and availability factors as two reasons for the leagues to increasingly look at Dutch players.
In the past, only two Dutch players have played in the IPL – all-rounder Ryan Ten Doeschate, who played for KKR and left-arm quick Dirk Nannes.
Spinner Roelof van der Merwe, who now plays for the Netherlands, too had appeared in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but during that time the left-arm spinner was a South African cricketer. Nannes was playing for Australia when he played for RCB in IPL.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.