Having made a name for himself in red-ball cricket, Australian batsman and 2019 Wisden Cricketer of the Year Marnus Labuschagne has expressed a desire to play in the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). “Look, if you ask me if I would like to be involved (in the IPL) – absolutely, yes,” Labuschagne said on the Tissot Presents Sportstar Extras T20 Time show.
“That said, I don’t think that’s up to me. That’s up to the teams, and if I pose to be a very good option for them to have. I want to play as much T20 cricket as I can. Given the schedule at the moment, it looks unlikely there’s going to be too many opportunities (to play T20 cricket) apart from the IPL and some other T20 leagues. For me, it is about making sure I’m learning and progressing as a player, and that means playing more T20 games,” he added.
WATCH EPISODE 4 OF OUR NEWEST SERIES T20 TIME FEATURING MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE
The 26-year-old has been keeping tabs on the progress of his Australian teammates in IPL 2020 and feels the next edition will help players get into the groove before the T20 World Cup. The 2021 ICC event will be hosted in India in October-November, with the final scheduled on November 14. “I don’t think there is any doubt that playing a T20 tournament in India before you go there for the T20 World Cup next year will do a world of good for all players around the country. So, next year’s IPL will be a big tournament. It will add a lot of value to those who are playing it” he said.
Labuschagne picked the contest between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals on September 30 as one of his favourite moments from this IPL season. “The battle between Pat Cummins (of KKR) and Steve Smith (captain of RR) was exciting, watching two teammates have a go at each other. Cummo got the better of Steve on that occasion,” he said.
“Kieron Pollard also is batting well at the moment – he is hitting them everywhere, so that’s been good to watch. The boundaries are short, especially in Sharjah. It’s been great fun overall.”
