IPL 2016: The world’s best Test cricketers missing out, but why?

It cannot be a mere coincidence. When 16 out of the World’s best 26 Test cricketers by rankings do not play a single IPL game, there has to be more to it than meets the eye. And if you then take out Ravichandran Ashwin, who is currently the world’s best-ranked Test all-rounder and 2nd best-ranked bowler, and Ravindra Jadeja who also finds himself in sixth spot in both the Test bowlers and all-rounders top 10 list, the statistic becomes even more compelling.

Indian players as we all know are obligated to play the IPL, even if they have to miss the preceding or subsequent international assignments in India colours. In fact, only four present day Test bests, apart from the two Indians on the list – South Africans AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel, Australian David Warner and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan – seem to be going whole hog in the IPL, having played 10 or more matches.

Four other non-Indians on the three ICC top-10 Test rankings who have played in the 2016 edition of the world’s richest cricket league, namely the likes of Australian Test captain Steve Smith, Kiwi Kane Williamson and the South African pair of Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla, have played only eight or less matches out of a maximum possible 14. Steyn, in fact, has played only one single match.

What is keeping them out?

So what is it that keeps these top cricketers away from the IPL? For starters, the Pakistani cricketers on the list can be excluded from the scope of this discussion as Pakistani players are not allowed to play for political and diplomatic reasons. Nothing to do with cricket. So that takes out Younus Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, number five and number 10 on the ICC top 10 batsman’s list. And Yasir Shah and Md. Hafeez as well who are number four and number 10 on the bowlers and all-rounders list respectively. That still leaves you with 12 of the very best who have not played a single IPL match.

Let us first talk about the English cricketers. Now, the IPL coincides every year with England’s famous summer cricket calendar. It is obvious that England takes it very seriously which means Joe Root, who delighted Indian fans with his skills in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, and the deadly fast-bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad would prefer preparing for the Tests rather than grinding it out in India’s punishing summer, even if it is for a few matches.

Ben Stokes, the world’s fifth-ranked Test all-rounder, also gave the IPL a miss but it was certainly not due to the pasting he received at the hands of Carlos Braithwaite in that now infamous last over of the T20 World Cup final. He had to undergo surgery for an injury.

Moeen Ali, two spots below Stokes on the all-rounders list and who has come along really well over the years as England’s lead Test spinner is particularly conspicuous by his absence as he is an all-rounder in the true sense and would have relished more comfortable batting conditions in India.

However, Alistair Cook their mercurial Test captain and another premier Test batsman, albeit not in the top-10 at the moment, also not being in action here, suggests that there is definitely a method to this ‘English absence’.

Sri Lankan cricket, on the other hand. is in rebuilding phase and as such they have only one entrant in the top-10 Test rankings list. Angelo Mathews, their best player at the moment by far and captain, probably felt the IPL would be too much of a distraction as he takes a young and inexperienced side to England this summer. Angelo is currently the world’s ninth-ranked Test batsman.

Mitchell Starc’ absence was a huge blow for Royal Challengers Bangalore

There are three Aussies on those three lists who have not played the IPL as well. Adam Voges is the world’s seventh-ranked Test batsmen. At 36, he is enjoying a dream period in the baggy green, averaging 95.50 with the bat. All of just 15 Tests old, it seems natural that he wants to extend his Test career as much as possible and knows very well that any injury or burn out faced as a result of the IPL would in hindsight be the most naïve career move ever.

Josh Hazelwood and Mitchell Starc are the other two. Now while Starc was injured and is now reportedly fighting fit, if you consider the fact that along with these two even the likes of James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon and Patrick Cummins do not play the IPL.

It is evident that there is a definite plan on both England’s part as depicted above as well as on the part of the Australians to keep their Test bowling unit out of the IPL. If nothing else, the confidence hit that the bowlers get in this slam-bang format where even mishits reach the stands is enough to suggest that it is a wise decision.

The last three cricketers in this selection are Kiwis Trent Boult and Marc Craig and South African Vernon Philander. Boult is the world’s seventh-ranked Test bowler while Craig is ranked 10th in the Test all-rounders list. Philander is the world’s 10th ranked Test bowler and fifth-ranked all-rounder. Boult is with the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad but has only played a single game till date. He had played seven matches for them the previous year. Craig and Philander are not in any squad however.

A wedge between two formats?

So it seems evident that the World’s best Test players are clearly not excited about the IPL. Even the players who do play, barring just four exceptions as pointed out, play only a select few matches. For example, Steve Smith, went home after just eight matches. Kane Williamson has played no more than six. It would be silly to suggest that the very best like Virat Kohli is not in any of those lists and if he and the World T20 winning West Indians are here, why bother.

But even someone like a Faf du Plessis, not in any of the Test top-10 rankings and is acknowledged by all as one of the world’s best Test batsmen, went back after playing just six games for the Rising Pune Supergiants. Kevin Pietersen, who is no longer a test player at the moment and is also not in the rankings went back playing just four matches for Pune. And many others who have been named who are not on the top-10 lists, just like Kohli and do not play the IPL. But fans will recall that even the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Ricky Ponting did not play in the IPL when they were active Test players.

So who is the loser in all this? It has to be the Indian cricket fan. The BCCI might want to look into this and maybe work a bit on the duration of the tournament which is disconcertingly long. Otherwise, it is next to impossible to see empty stands in an Indian cricket stadium for a limited overs cricket match.

Then there is, of course, the element of the IPL being played right in the middle of the harsh Indian summer. Maybe, this is why there are reports coming in that the powers that be are contemplating another short IPL.

We can only wish and wait.