New Mushtaq Ali format, a true feeder for IPL

What is the relevance of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic Twenty20 tournament, conducted by the BCCI in the age of IPL? During its short history (it started in 2007), the tournament has remained in the quiet shadows of its much-hyped and louder twin brother - IPL. For many the Mushtaq Ali might not be highly relevant, a formality the state players have to wrap up before the IPL extravaganza begins every summer.

It is not a cynical view. Ask yourself who is the defending champion and even an ardent Indian domestic cricket fan might struggle to readily give the answer. It is Gujarat if you are at all curious. But dig a little deeper and you can unearth why Mushtaq Ali remains one of the most important hunting grounds for the IPL franchises.

The welcome changes
Earlier editions of the tournament, in the age of IPL, were played post the auction and hence did not carry much of significance for the franchises, who has already assembled the squads heading into the IPL. But this season, the BCCI's decision to schedule the tournament prior to the IPL players' auction on February 6 has had the franchises excited.

Little wonder then that this time the talent scouts and assistant coaches for various franchises have been keenly following the tournament during the group stages which was played across four venues earlier this month. "It is an important tournament. The timing this time is crucial. You see a lot of interest among players, who want to perform well and announce that they are available. That is the kind of push you required for this tournament," says Vidarabha coach Paras Mhambrey.

"The franchise can get a clear picture about who is being consistent, who is in form, the kind of role he could play and if the team can find a slot for him," Mhambrey, who was one of the assistant coaches at Mumbai Indians, says.

A seasoned scout, TA Sekhar, one of directors at Delhi Daredevils, points that till a year ago, the uncapped player was not part of the auction and did not have much to look forward to while playing in the Mushtaq Ali since it was played post the auction. Not anymore. "Once the auction is over whatever he performs in the Mushtaq Ali, there was no motivation for both the player and the franchise. Every Ranji Trophy player wants to play in the IPL," Sekhar says.

He believes the tournament would not only serve as a platform for the franchises, but also for the Indian selectors, who would soon shortlist the 30-man squad soon for the World Twenty20 which starts mid-March.

Another change carried out by the BCCI this season is the introduction of the league phase culminating in knockouts. "There is so much of freshness because till last year the same zone sides again and again. But now getting through the league phase where we played new teams to get to the knockouts," says Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya. The former India wicketkeeper says it is also significant that instead of the Kokaburra Regulation ball used in previous editions the Kokaburra Turf ball has been introduced this year.

Dahiya agrees with Mhambrey that Mushtaq Ali allows teams to encourage new kids to display their strengths and thereby increase the pool of players. The IPL obviously, everyone agrees, is the primary motivation. "There is nothing wrong with that. Anything that gets the best of you (is not bad)," Dahiya says.

Tapping the unknowns
Dahiya says the talent scouts are always on lookout for an unknown who has the potential to make an impact by doing something against known names. And Mushtaq Ali is a good hunting ground. He cites the example Maharashtra wicketkeeper-batsman Nikhil Naik who was hired by Kings XI Punjab last season and retained. Incidentally 21-year-old Naik was Maharashtra's best batsman this season and among the top-10 in the league phase with 196 runs in five innings.

According to Monty Desai, a long-term coach and talent scout with Rajasthan Royals, Mushtaq Ali has one been one tournament where he has seen a lot of skilled uncapped players, some of whom he suggested to the franchise to pick. Royals was the original pioneer in picking unknown uncapped Indian players and groom them into match-winners. The franchise maintained that strategy consistently throughout the seven seasons.

"(Vidarbha batsman) Faiz Fazal was one of the guys we picked as a top order batsman based on his strike rate of 120 at the time. He is consistent even now. (Railways batsman) Amit Paunikar was somebody who could hit the ball from ball one. Syed Mushtaq Ali allows you (the coach) to observe and see how player is doing in the role you have picked him for. You want to see is he playing the role properly when he is playing in this tournament. You want to then compare his performances and see how better can the player peak during the IPL," Desai explains.

Dahiya, who was an assistant coach with Kolkata Knight Riders for six years, says IPL teams scouts have always looked forward to Mushtaq Ali. But the way they used to spot and identify talent has now changed. "When IPL started there was a craze among computer analysts about looking at averages and strike rates," he says. "But what a franchise now looks at, having brought on board an Indian domestic coaches, whether the Indian domestic player can perform and withstand pressure in a match situation. The franchise always is keen to know whether an unknown, uncapped Indian player who can hit out of the ground. This is the kind of thought process of the franchise now."

Scouts are always enticed by a player who single-handedly turns the match around for his team under pressure. Desai points out the case senior Himachal Pradesh Paras Dogra, a former Royals player. Desai was impressed by Dogra's aggressive 79 that helped Himachal snub Tamil Nadu last week during the league phase. Himachal had to win to keep their hope of knockouts alive, and Dogra made sure they stayed afloat.

Desai still recollects Dogra playing the supporting role to Yusuf Pathan in a thrilling IPL match in 2010 when Royals fell short by four runs chasing Mumbai Indians' 212. Yusuf had blasted a 37-ball century, but was ably assisted by Dogra who hit 41 runs off 29 balls. "Somebody like Paras who left that impact in my mind at that point and then you see his performance right now again and you feel you had made the right choice. He played the No. 5 and 6 role in 2010 and now he is doing well at No. 3."

Desai says one thing Royals did consistently, and helped them get better in their auction strategy, was following up on players spotted in Mushtaq Ali and then asking those players to come for franchise trials. "If a team is looking to accommodate an overseas fast bowler into the playing eleven, then they need to stack up the domestic guys at the top. With eight teams competing to get the best Indian players then you go to this level - Mushtaq Ali and see if you're going to get someone like Dogra, or who the next big guy is."

The positives for players

For Mhambrey the tournament holds significance also because it gives him the opportunity to test his bench strength. "This format does gives you the flexibility to experiment with the younger lot, creating a bench strength, test and assess guys how they handle pressure."

Mhambrey gives the example off Apoorv Wankhede, who has been part of the Ranji squad, but did not get an opportunity to play during the group phase. But having been groomed to play in the Twenty20, Wankhede is now showcasing his skills. "He has delivered already having played some matured innings including winning a game by hitting the winning runs in a tight situation off the last delivery."

Jitesh Sharma is another batsman who has stood out already, becoming the first batsman to Vidarbha to record a century in Twenty20 cricket. Another Vidarbha guy who has attracted outside attention is left-arm spinner Akshay Karnewar, who Mhambrey says is suited to, and has been doing well in limited overs cricket.

No coincidence then that Karnewar has impressed Sekhar, who watched him do well during the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament. "He bowls left-arm spin to right-handers and right-arm off spin to left handers. So he is an ambidexterous bowler," Sekhar says. Karnewar got 16 wickets in seven matches at 11.50 with two four-fors in Hazare. His average was the best among all bowlers who took at least 10 wickets in the tournament.

Desai makes an interesting point when he says Mustaq Ali can also serve as a platform for players who fail in the IPL, but can polish their skills further for the next season. "Take the case of Sagar Trivedi. He had only played on Twenty20 match when he came for the Royals camp. This year also he played just one game in Mushtaq Ali. But he understood his role better by performing in death overs for which he was trained. Some players take IPL experience and head to Mushtaq Ali to understand their role better. It is the biggest platform for players."

Clearly then the Mushtaq Ali is relevant. There is a something significant at stake for the player, state and franchise.