We often hear in club football that so and so player has gone to another club on a loan deal. One wonders whether the time has come to implement that in franchise cricket too.
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If we consider the amount of injuries that one has witnessed in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, one wonders whether the organisers would be better off allowing franchises who have surplus players to loan out players to another one.
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Consider the scenario that the Dhoni-led Rising Pune Supergiants find themselves in. They have lost key players in Faf Du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith. As replacements they have sought players like Usman Khawaja and George Bailey who will be flying in all the way from Australia and will take their time to be match-ready.
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Would it not make sense then to allow teams to loan out players who are twiddling their thumbs sitting in the dug-out? Someone like a Martin Guptill who is unable to find a place in the Mumbai Indians playing XI would appreciate the opportunity to turn up for the rising Pune Supergiants. What’s more, it could be a like-for-like replacement as Du Plessis was an opening batsman and Guptill could provide the impetus that the Rising Pune Supergiants are lacking at the top of the order.
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While the BCCI debate whether to take the league out of the country come next season, a pragmatic approach to situations like loaning players from one franchise to the other to counter for injuries, would add to the interest levels of an already popular league.