'There Seems to be a Dearth of Talent': Sunil Gavaskar Feels IPL 2023 Hasn’t Lived up to Expectation

It’s been a couple of weeks since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and the fans have already witnessed several nerve-wracking clashes that have reached conclusion on the final ball of the game. At the same time, several youngsters, like Rinku Singh, Ayush Badoni, and Sai Sudharsan, have made significant contributions to their respective teams. However, former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar is yet to find any ‘exciting young talent’ in the first few matches of the season.

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Gavaskar, who is also a part of the English commentary team of Star Sports, felt that the IPL 2023 hasn’t lived up to the expectation. In his latest column for Sportstar, he wrote that the tournament has failed to deliver its motto, where – ‘Where Talent Meets Opportunity’. He found a dearth of exciting young players and doesn’t expect that to change in the rest of the season.

“…unless there are some hidden gems yet to be unearthed, the fast bowling department, the opening batting and spin bowling sections are looking devoid of any exciting talent," Gavaskar wrote.

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“In the bowling department, too, there seems to be a dearth of talent. While it is understandable that the T20 format is very harsh on the bowlers, the lack of much planning and thought when the batter gets stuck into them is a concern. The spinners hardly ever change the pace at which they deliver and by bowling flatter they seem like medium pacers, which is exactly what the batters are looking for," he further mentioned.

On Tuesday, Mumbai Indians registered their first win this season after defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 6 wickets. DC happens to be a youngster-driven side but is currently having an underwhelming season. They have lost four games in the trot, making it their second-worst IPL after six straight losses in 2013.

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Rohit Sharma was at his vintage best en route to his first IPL half-century in 25 innings before Mumbai Indians overcame some tense moments to pull off a last-ball win.

David Warner laboured to 51 off 47 balls before Axar Patel flaunted his much-improved batting skills again with an impactful 54 off 25 balls to push Delhi Capitals to a competitive 172 after Mumbai Indians put the hosts into bat.

With the pitch on the drier side compared to the first game here and finger spinners getting plenty of assistance from it, Mumbai Indians had a tricky task at hand but with his classy 65 off 45 balls, Rohit helped his side record their first win of the season.

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