Debutants target IPL glory

When the Bansals of Intex Technologies attended the first player draft of the Indian Premier League 2016, they had no idea that they would win a mini battle of sorts at the first go with the Kolkata-based businessman Sanjiv Goenka's Pune franchise.
With the big fish Mahendra Singh Dhoni already at their side at the player draft, Pune, which had the first choice in the draft, appeared to have got the big advantage. However, at the end of the player draft, Intex Technologies-owned Rajkot franchise gained a substantial edge with Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum and James Faulkner in their kitty.
 

While Pune got Ravichandran Ashwin, Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane and Steven Smith apart from Dhoni, the head-to-head comparison pointed to Rajkot hitting all the right notes. Sanjay Bansal, one of the four brothers who owns the Intex Group and is based in Dubai, agreed that they had made the right start to their IPL campaign getting Raina as their first pick.
"We would have liked to have Dhoni as he himself is a huge brand and we would have benefitted with his presence. But we are not disappointed. Raina holds a phenomenal record with CSK, having never missed even a single match for his former team since its inception in 2008.
His experience will be a big plus point to shape up our new team. So also, Jadeja, Bravo and McCullum are proven IPL match winners and will give our team the big boost. And even though Pune had the first choice in the draw, the general feeling is that we had won the first battle. This augurs well for our ultimate goal which is to win the title in our first IPL appearance," Sanjay told the Khaleej Times.
Pune and Rajkot will be the two new franchisees that will be playing in the 2016 and 2017 IPL editions after being picked as replacements for the tainted Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises, which stand suspended for two seasons of the IPL following their involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and corruption scandal. IPL 2016, which is the ninth edition of the event, has been scheduled from April 9 to May 29 and will witness eight teams, including new franchises - Pune and Rajkot - battling it out for the prestigious 2016 Vivo IPL title.
Intex has a global presence with its products available in more than 90 countries, including the UAE. Known as India's fastest-growing mobile handset company, Intex's success story after being established in 1996 reached a climax when they become the top handset seller in India last November. In 2014-15 their turnover was $600 million, which they look to more than double by next year and the IPL entry will give it the necessary push. However, according to media reports, the two new franchises will have only a two-year term. Sanjay, though, is unperturbed. "We have to look at the brighter picture, and who knows what happens after two years. If we win the title it will be difficult to take back our franchise. But right now our aim is to stitch a good team which can make a dent at the title," he added.
Even the fact that his nephew - Keshav, only 23 years of age, will be calling the shots is not a cause of concern for Sanjay. "Keshav has a good head on his shoulders. Besides being a state level squash player, he has big interest in cricket. I am confident he will make the most of this opportunity like he has done every time when handed a challenge," emphasized Sanjay.
Going by Rajkot's mantra of giving youngsters the chance to lead, Raina appears to be the first choice to skipper the team, pipping McCullum for the job. Sanjay said everything would be decided only after the coach is finalised ahead of the IPL auction, which is slated for February 6. "We will take a call on the captaincy once the auction is held," he said.
Though there were talks of former India coach Gary Kirsten, who recently parted way with Delhi Daredevils, joining Rajkot, Sanjay said nothing has been finalized yet. "We are in talks with a few coaches and we will zero in on the coach by January-end," he said.
After having spent Rs 39 crore from a permissible 66 crore to buy the five top players, Rajkot has got Rs 29 crore in hand for the February 6 auction.
"Once the coach is finalised we will look out for the players available. We will go for some lesser-known players having a spark. We are a new franchise while others have the advantage of playing in the first eight seasons. But we will try learn from their mistakes," he added.
ramdas@khaleejtimes.com