Cricket purists have always been dismissive of the T20 league being played around the world, primarily the IPL. They say no good comes out of the league. Bowlers being hit around the ground and batsmen slogging every ball is often compared to a circus rather than actual cricket. While they are correct to a certain extent, IPL hampering the sport is certainly not true.

Thangarasu Natarajan is a testament to the IPLs success in bringing quality players to the forefront. Hailing from a remote village in Salem, Tamil Nadu, there was no hope for him to ever play at this big stage if not for the IPL. There have been many players like him in the past who did not get to wear the Indian national team jersey, nor be able to play with International cricketers. Indian team would never be able to accommodate thousands of players that come through the state cricket. This is where IPL comes into the picture.

Natarajan hails from a small village in Tamil Nadu and bowled with just the tennis ball until 20 years of age. He only got into playing with the hard cricket ball after he turned 20. Having not played Under-19 for the Indian team it would have been incredibly tough for him to be anywhere close to where he is now. The IPL, however, has brought a star-studded platform to every nook and corner of the country. Anyone with potential could now play with the likes of Warner, Williamson and Rabada.

Rise of Young cricketers in the IPL 2020

This year has seen a rise of great young players. Shubhman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Ishan Kishan, T Natarajan, Devdutt Padikkal are just a few names who are doing very well for their respective franchises. While IPL should be open to criticism for the dilution of conventional cricket, it’s influence on Indian cricket can never be denied. If it wasn’t for IPL, we would never get to see players like Natarajan and what a shame would that be.