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Playing IPL Difficult Than Playing For Country: Muttiah Muralitharan

Murali was part of IPL till 2015 and during his eight years with the league as a player, he represented the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Sri Lanka spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan reckons that performing at the Indian Premier League is more difficult than when representing your country as their is no certainty that a player will get to play the next match no matter how good their last performance has been.

Explaining his observation, Muralitharan, the highest wicket-taker in the history of Test and ODI cricket, said team combination dictates who is in or out.

“Playing IPL difficult than playing for country,” Muralitharan said during an interaction with India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin in his show DRS with Ash.

He continued, “With country, you know you will perform. You will have the confidence that you’ll get the ball, you’ll play. But in IPL, no matter how well you’ve done, you might have to sit out for the sake of team combination. So that’s part and parcel of IPL. You have to accept it and move on.”

Murali was part of IPL till 2015 and during his eight years with the league as a player, he represented the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

The cap on the number of overseas cricketers that can be part of a Playing XI also makes it difficult to give regular chances, the 48-year-old said. “In IPL only four foreigners can play so tea composition is there. Some matches need allrounders, some don’t. I too have sat out many matches. But I’ve never been unsatisfied. That is part of the game,” he said.

The upcoming season of IPL will be played in the UAE but as per latest reports, the coronavirus cases are on the rise in the country leaving BCCI worried about the safety of the players and other stakeholders.

The IPL is scheduled to start from September 19 with the final to be played on November 10.

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