Sydney Sixers pacer Tom Curran said that his team can be rated as one of the best franchises across the globe and be at the level of IPL's Mumbai Indians if they manage to win the ongoing BBL 2021-22.
Sydney Sixers is considered as one of the heavyweights in the Big Bash League, having won three titles so far, and are tied with Perth Scorchers for the most number of titles in the tournament.
The Moises Henriques-led side were the winners of the last two editions of the BBL and if they manage to win the ongoing edition, they’ll become the first team in the history of the tournament to win three consecutive titles.
Read Also: Twitterati slam Ganguly and Jay Shah for no communication with Kohli over ODI captaincy
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the IPL, having won the title record five times. Apart from this, the Rohit Sharma-led side has also two Champions League titles to their name.
Speaking to NDTV, England and Sydney Sixers pacer Tom Curran when asked about chances of his BBL team giving Mumbai Indians run for their money as the best T20 franchise said that any team that wins two or three titles in a row is a successful franchise.
He remarked that they’ve set their eyes on winning the third consecutive BBL title, which will make them a ‘great franchise’. He added that it doesn’t matter who they are getting compared to but they’ll be right up there where Mumbai Indians are.
"Any team that wins three or two titles in a row is obviously a great successful franchise. But winning three in a row will arguably make us one of the great franchise teams going around, statistically.
“Doesn't matter who we are getting compared to but yes definitely we will be right up there. It is not an easy task but we have the quality to achieve that,” Tom Curran said.
Curran said that the dimensions of the different grounds and the size of them make BBL unique in the world and both batters and bowlers have to work on their tactics for different grounds.
"One thing unique about the BBL is the dimensions of the different grounds and the size of them. Like in MCG, the square boundaries are massive and straight is short while at the Adelaide Oval we have short square boundaries. As a bowler and even as a batter, you have to constantly work on your tactics for the different grounds," he said.
Curran further explained why he pulled out of the last year's BBL due to bubble fatigue.
"The bio-bubble in England during the T20 league last year was extremely tough. It was like practically living on the ground as we spent most of our time in hotels within the Old Trafford in Manchester and Ageas Bowl in Southampton. It was like opening the curtains every day and watching the grass getting cut, the wickets getting rolled and it got too much for me," he said.
Tom Curran said that saying in bio-bubble harms the mind of the cricketers as players can’t go out after the ‘tough’ games. He added they bio-bubbles are not sustainable and revealed that they are not hard in Australia as they have a bit more freedom.
Read Also: Michael Slater arrested for second time in Sydney; charged with restraining order breach
"These are strange times and it definitely has a negative impact on the mind of the cricketers, including myself. It is not a healthy way of living. You can't go out with friends after a game and there is no release especially after tough games we have in the leagues or international cricket.
“Bio-bubbles are not sustainable and hopefully we won't be going on like this for a long time. The bubble in Australia is thankfully not that hard and we have a bit more freedom," he concluded.
Notably, Sydney Sixers have so far won 2 out of their 3 games in the ongoing BBL 2021 and have seven points to their name.
(NDTV Sports inputs)
