IPL 2018: Brad Hodge believes quality of local talent in India is the best

Indian Premier League (IPL) has provided an excellent platform for the youngsters to display their prowess against some of the best cricketers in the world. Ever since its inception, a plethora of Indian cricketers have made it to the national side on the back of some consistent showings in the tournament. The ongoing eleventh edition is no different as the likes of Mayank Markande, Ankit Rajpoot, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan have set the stage on fire which has impressed Brad Hodge who is the coach of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

Punjab had begun their season with a bang as their gun players were in form and the skipper R Ashwin also shone in his new role. Even they unearthed the talent of Rajpoot who scalped the first five-wicket haul of this season. His pace has impressed many and has troubled the best batsmen in the world so far. Even their investment in the young leggie from Afghanistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, has worked wonders for the team even as Manzoor Dar, the special talent from Kashmir, is yet to get a game this year.

Local talent is amazingly different

Bard Hodge, in an interview to Sportstar, was all praise of the IPL and hailed the local talent in the country as amazingly different. He also believed that the fact that the franchises are owned by popular personalities in the country has also made the cash-rich league attractive and famous. “The quality of local talent, which is amazingly different from any other country, the right number of foreigners in a side, the fact that the teams are owned by major film stars and industrial bigwigs and of course the Indian crowds have all made IPL the best in the world,” he said.

He was also all praise of their opener KL Rahul who smashed the fastest half-century in the history of the tournament in their first game itself and has continued in the same vein. “What a talent! We knew he was a potential orange-cap holder and that is why we paid so much for him. He has been brilliant from the first match, in which he played those amazing shots against Jasprit Bumrah over cover,” Hodge added.

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