Playing IPL is like taking an MBA in cricket: AB de Villiers

Arguably the best batsman in world cricket at present, AB de Villiers, has heaped praises on the Indian Premier League in a column for the Hindu. de Villiers has referred to the tournament as the University of World Cricket and playing in it to be like an MBA in the sport.

"When people talk about the IPL, they almost always refer to the player salaries and the razzamatazz; and, in both these areas, the league has taken cricket to a new level, presenting the game in a way that has not been done before, creating a platform for players to receive market-related remuneration," wrote the South African about the common perceptions around the IPL.

However, there is much more to the world's most popular T20 league according to the master batsman. "What people don’t talk about, and what they may not fully appreciate, is the extraordinary impact of the IPL on our sport, specifically the information-sharing impact of gathering the world’s leading players in one league, divided among eight franchises competing over two months," he explained.

Talking about how much the players can learn from the IPL, de Villiers wrote,"I learn more during each IPL than in the other 44 weeks of the year. The experience of being surrounded by world-class players day after day, match after match, and taking the opportunity to meet them, talk to them and watch them go about their business amounts to nothing more and nothing less than a top-class education. It’s like taking an MBA in cricket."

"We come from different countries, different backgrounds and different traditions, but we play the same game and nobody knows everything. That is why, to every single player involved in this competition, every single day delivers a gilt-edged invitation to look and learn, and to improve," the ace RCB batsman added.

AB de Villiers also opened up on how he has learnt so much over the years from taking part in the IPL. He wrote,"From a personal perspective, it’s hard to exaggerate how much I have benefitted from being involved in nine editions of the IPL, getting to know the likes of Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Stephen Fleming, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli and others, seeing them perform first-hand, often as teammates, spending so much time with them after matches, listening to them talk about the game, just chatting about life in general, sharing experiences and knowledge.

Summing up the great benefits of the IPL for cricketers, de Villiers concluded, "In tens of thousands of unreported conversations and interactions, the IPL improves us as people and enhances our game."