Mumbai Indians won’t be amused!

Punjab Kings batter Liam Livingstone (left) chats with Mumbai Indians bowler Jofra Archer at Mohali on May 3. Pic/PTI

As the Incredible Premier League conducts the last dance for Playoffs places, there are some teams that know that they may just have reached their Cinderella time and will have to pack up and leave with not just the shoe missing, but also the reputation of some players and coaching staff torn too. The owners of the franchises run huge industries and have a corporate culture that does not brook mediocrity and indifference. It's the latter part that they will have noticed in some of the players and coaching staff and those are the ones that may well face the axe. Nobody minds a failure if there is sincere effort, for in sport there will be wins and there will be losses. It's the effort that counts and not just turning up and going through the motions.

Availability factor

The franchises will no doubt also look at the availability factor when the next auction comes along. There's simply no point paying even one rupee for a player, however big a name he may be, if he is not going to be available for the entire tournament. It's got to be the player's choice to pick playing for an IPL franchise or his country. Full marks to him if he chooses country over IPL, but if he chooses IPL then he has to fulfill his commitments totally and not make some excuse and leave early, especially towards the time when qualifying for the Playoffs becomes crucial. For far too long the franchises have been too lenient and allowed players to leave towards the latter half of the tournament. This is mainly a problem with English players and like said earlier, it is totally understandable to choose playing for the country, but if you have signed up for the IPL then you got to fulfill your commitments to your franchise right till the end of the tournament. If the franchise fail to qualify for the Playoffs, you get to return a week early.

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There's never any trouble with the New Zealand players who play right till the end and then fly to England if they are playing a series in England then. There's never any issue with the Australians who also play right till the end. Those who want to rest like Pat Cummins don't sign up at all even though he may be losing millions of dollars by doing so. That's why when he is available next time, the franchises will jostle and push to sign him because they know they will get total effort in every game from him. There's no problem with the players from other countries too.

Not fully fit, yet came over

What has been Mumbai Indians experience of Jofra Archer? They took a punt on him knowing that he was injured and would be available only from this season. They paid big money for him and what has he given in return? He didn't seem 100 per cent fit and he should have informed the franchise about it. They only realised when he turned up and found that he was barely able to bowl at his usual pace. In between the tournament, he went abroad for treatment which is what his country's cricket board apparently said. So he was never fully fit, but still came over. If he was committed to the franchise, who probably pay him more than the ECB does, he should have stayed right till the end even if he wasn't going to play and show his commitment towards the franchise. Instead, he has opted to fly off back to the UK.

A day later, a story appears that he is going to get a multi-million pound deal with Mumbai Indians to play for their team in the various leagues in the world. This has got to be the greatest diversionary trick attempted. Mumbai Indians are not fools to sign a lame horse for any future race. Make no mistake, Mumbai Indians won't be amused at the turn of events and now that they have come back well in the tournament without his presence he will be lucky if he gets his full fee for the IPL and if he does then he would do well to give half to his favourite charity.

There's no question he is one of the most exciting players to watch for there are so few quick bowlers in the game today and so here's hoping that he recovers fully and gives cricket lovers the thrill that only a genuine fast bowler does.
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