I Could Dream Big If I Didn’t Have Knee Injury- Imrul

Defending champion Comilla Victorians top order batter Imrul Kayes acknowledged that due to the unavailability of the T20 star campaigners the ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League lacked the glamour greatly that it had in its past seasons. Simultaneously, the former skipper for the defending champions also revealed that quitting the role of captain giving him more room to focus on his batting fueled the southpaw to bag two fifties on the trot in three games of the meet as of yet.

Q. How would you brand this edition of the Bangladesh Premier League? Since the BPL governing council has failed to rope in the big names in the country’s lone T20 extravaganza,?

Imrul: Of course, as you said, the star players who have featured in the past seasons of BPL are lacking this season. But I must say that the matches this season have been highly competitive. So I must say that [BPL] is an ideal platform for our youngsters, as they would be able to gather huge experience from the vying by sharing dressing rooms with famed foreign players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and so forth. No doubt, it is always good for them.

And if I consider the overall standard, obviously there is a shortfall of glamour in this version of the tournament. To be honest, we are missing the glamour of BPL that we had seen in its early stages, as performers like David Warner and AB de Villiers were used to feature at that time.

Q. How have you found the wickets so far as there is always a denunciation regarding the wicket conditions of the competition?

Imrul: If I talk particularly about Dhaka, it was better than earlier. And about Sylhet, the first day’s wicket looked tricky. But overall, it was better than all past seasons.

Q. You captained the Comilla Victorians for a long time. But in this season, whereas now you are playing for the side as just a batter, Are you feeling anything different?

Imrul: Look, changes are obvious. Things will change as time passes. You can’t always expect the same. Earlier, I used to play for Comilla as a captain and batter, but now I am playing just as a batter. You know things change. So from that point of view, I am feeling better because now I can bat pressure-free and responsibility is not much there that I had during my stint as a skipper. Now I don’t need to design a plan or overthink for my side, which is really good for me.

Q. You have struck two fifties on the trot this season out of three ties. Is that helping you to dream big?

Imrul: I could. If I hadn’t suffered a knee injury, consequently, I am not sure about my availability for the next two matches. I underwent an MRI following our tie here in Sylhet, and the physician found liquid in my left knee. However, I can’t predict how many matches I will have in the dugout.

Q. Do you believe Comilla can defend their title with the campaigners they have?

Imrul: Look, we have always been a mixed-team setup. The combination we have in the early phases of the tournament is not there when it is in the middle of the meet, and in the final episode, we see the inclusion of big names. I think it will repeat in this edition as well if we can qualify for the last four. And if we reach the play-offs of the tournament, the availability of star performers is most likely on our side, which will make us more balanced. Perhaps you have noticed that two of our West Indies players have meanwhile left while a similar number of Pakistan players have been roped. I guess the overseas players will keep coming and going. But to be honest, it makes team combinations difficult, as it is really tough to go smoothly when you have to split the existing combination.

However, at the end of the day, it is really tough to predict whether we would be able to defend the title, as you know that the T20 is such a format where the fate of a game changes within a couple of overs. If a team plays their best on a particular day, they will clinch the title.

Q. How impressive is Liton Das as a captain?

Imrul: A good on-field captain is not always a good captain. But I must acknowledge him as a good on-field skipper, as he captained the national team and will also do so in the future. But it will depend on him how he manages a team well that includes campaigners both local and international.