Aparajit did not attract any IPL franchise
Tamil Nadu cricketer Baba Aparajith was disappointed after being ignored at the IPL 2018 auctions which were recently held in Bengaluru.
In a recent interview with TOI, Aparajith opened up more about his feeling after the IPL franchises him not for him at the auctions.
Ahead of the fresh IPL auctions held this January, Aparajith, who was called up for a trial with Mumbai Indians, was optimistic about his IPL chances. “I was confident that some team would go for me given the fact that I was with a couple of teams for the last five years,” Aparajith told TOI.
On being asked further about his trials with Mumbai Indians, Aparajith told " I first thought that there would be lesser number of players but there were about 100-odd cricketers in the trials. I realized you have to do something extraordinary out there and then follow it up with good show in Syed Mushtaq Ali to keep yourself in the radar. It’s a combination of factors. I realized just because you have been called for trials by a franchisee doesn’t mean you are in their radar. Yet, I was hopeful."
He expressed his disappointment further stating "I was confident that some team would pick me given that I was with a couple of IPL teams for five years. I felt some side would bid for me. But I felt disappointed. Had I got four or five games during those five years and failed, then I would have at least been thinking ‘okay I failed when given a chance’ and then went unsold. Had I played and went unsold, I would term it a reality check. But I never got a game and didn’t get picked now. That was disappointing".
After being a part of Chennai Super Kings and Rising Supergiant for the last 5 years in the IPL, this is the first time that Aparajith has not been a part of an IPL franchise.
On being asked about how would he cope up with these two months Aparajith concluded " I discussed a lot with my coaches S Balaji, JR Madanagopal and mental conditioning coach Sujith Somasunder. They have been exceptional in supporting me. I need to think about the next step quickly. I should take this two-month break as an opportunity to work hard on my game on various aspects. Last five years, I didn’t get a free summer. If I want to make the next year count, then it depends a lot on how hard I work during these two months. My focus is to improve myself as an impact player in all formats. I won’t say it a blessing in disguise. If you ask anybody whether they need a break or IPL, they will pick IPL. I realized that it’s now up to me to ensure that I don’t go unsold in an IPL auction from next year and that I prove myself as a good T20 allrounder."
The eleventh season of the Indian Premier League will be played from April 7 to May 27 with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians playing the opener.