Irish Skipper, Andrew Balbirnie, admitted that IPL is the best T20 tournament in the world. He was speaking in a press conference ahead of the 4-match ODI series in UAE, beginning January 8th.
However, no Ireland cricketer in 13 years has managed to earn an IPL contract, and skipper Andrew Balbirnie feels it will be a massive moment if any Irish player is able to do so.
Andrew Balbirine, who is famous for his explosive batting, wants to feature in the tournament but knows that he and his colleagues will have to perform consistently forq the Irish side in the limited-overs leg to get the required recognition among the franchises.
“It will be massive. IPL is the best T20 league in the world with the best players in the world... But to get that opportunity, we need to put in performances for Ireland like we did in England and get to the top of the table more often," said Andrew Balbirnie while replying to a query from ANI.
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While addressing the media in a press conference Andrew Balbirine said IPL gives massive exposure to the players. Andrew Balbirine, 30, also referred to UAE captain, Ahmed Raza, who took part in one of the training camps of Royal Challengers Bangalore last year.
"In IPL, you get to talk to the best players, the best coaches in the world. And the exposure a player gets is massive... I know Ahmed was part of Royal Challengers Bangalore and he could probably say how good the experience was," said Andrew Balbirne.
The 13th edition of the IPL was staged in the UAE against all odds last year, as the cricket fever escalated among the fans who were waiting to see world-class players compete. The adoration of the tournament saw a rampant rise in 2020 and has culminated in the addition of two more teams in the high-voltage competition.
Ireland will lock horns with UAE before they play Afghanistan in the World Cup Super League fixtures later this month.
The last time Ireland played an ODI, Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie, played knocks of 142 and 113 respectively to help Ireland defeat England by seven wickets.
(ANI Inputs)
