The current CEO of T10 League, Arvinder Singh, has said that he will try his level best to ensure that the game’s new format becomes a bona fide tournament in cricket's calendar.
Arvinder, who has the experience of being the former CEO of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (2008 to 2015) and Gujarat Lions (2016 & 2017), had not watched the inaugural season of T10 League and thus was a bit circumspect about it. However, a meeting with the tournament chairman Shaji Ul Mulk in Mumbai changed his perception regarding the potential of the
"I did not see [the first tournament] live. I had heard about this but, to be frank, I did not take it seriously. I don't blame anybody for what happened last year. It started off as four days of cricket, carnival and entertainment,” Arvinder told ESPNcricinfo.
"At the end of the day leagues are not made of all of that. While that's okay to keep that in the stands and the entertainment high, if the cricket is not good and the cricket is not serious then you won't be taken seriously. That's the change that you see here and that is something I put my foot down to ensure it stays," he added.
Arvinder was appointed as the league’s CEO for the second season when the prospect of staging the competition was looking very minimal. Salman Iqbal, the league's president, had stepped down from his post while one of the tournament's eight franchises had to be rebranded after an order from the Sindh High Court.
"It is certainly a big challenge but I'm not too concerned with what happens behind the scenes. If the product is good and the product is good on the ground, that is what I'm focused on. I think the league itself needs to have the strength within itself to bear the challenges off the pitch and continue to focus on what the product is," Arvinder stated.
"I believe there is tremendous potential for this format. It's the fourth format sanctioned by the ICC and we have first-mover advantage and very exciting performances," he continued.
With time ICC's approval also came for the T10 League. Moreover, the big names of Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Khan, Eoin Morgan among others on the tournament's roster was cheery on the cake for cricket’s shortest format.
"You name them, they are all here, so there must be something right about this. I keep talking to the players and everybody is pretty excited about this format. It's up to the league now to take this forward and ensure that we're able to showcase it in the manner of a professional league,” Arvinder remarked.
"From a crowd-engagement perspective I appreciate the fact that the crowd wants to be engaged and be a part of the game as well. This is fine in the stadium but there are also hundreds of thousands watching on TV. From that perspective, if I do not get the eyeballs for serious cricket then all of this has no meaning," he concluded.
(With inputs from ESPNcricinfo)
