With the Indian Premier League IV auction set for November, the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 comes as a big platform for players to impress upon the IPL teams and earn a fat contract with one of the 10 franchises, feel international cricketers.
The three-year contracts of IPL players have ended after the successful completion of third edition of the high-profile T20 League and buoyed by the addition of two new franchises — Kochi and Pune — cricketers feel it is time to rake in some bounty by consistent performances in the CLT20 which starts at the Wanderers here on Friday.
"The tournament is a great opportunity for each and every individual to showcase their potential and come to the notice of IPL teams. "I consider it is a very very crucial tournament because it gave me my big break in IPL," said big-hitting West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who shot to limelight playing for Trinidad and Tobago in the inaugural CLT20 in India.
"Each and every cricketer will be now eyeing the IPL IV auctions," said Pollard, who played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL III. On personal and team's front, Pollard is looking to put up consistent performances for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming event.
"It's (CLT20) gonna be great. It is my first time in South Africa and I am looking forward to the challenges. We played good cricket throughout the tournament in last IPL but it was disappointing to lose the final.
"The conditions here are different. It is more like Australia but being an international cricketer you need to play in all sorts of environment," Pollard added.
South African middle-order batsman J.P. Duminy too agreed with his Mumbai Indians team-mate and said CLT20 is a good opportunity for players to catch the eyes of IPL franchises.
"Definitely, I think so because it is the right time to put your name on the map. A lot of people will be watching these performances and the players will be geared up to perform here and earn big contracts," said the left-hander.
However, temperamental India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh thinks otherwise and feels consistency should be the only criteria to judge a player's potential.
"According to me that's a wrong perception. One or two tournaments are not enough to judge a player's capabilities. You need to see his past performances and future abilities.
He should have done well over a period of time," the 30-year-old tweaker, who will also represent Mumbai Indians in the second Champions League T20 here, said.
The CLT20 starts with Mumbai Indians taking on local side Highveld Lions in the opening match.