The sudden suspension of the Indian Premier League did leave franchises and players in a fix, but its quick comeback has made them more confident about the league.
Gujarat Titans Chief Operating Officer (COO) Colonel Arvinder Singh said that IPL's comeback in such a short time shows India's resilience.
"An event of this stature gets pushed but is back in such a short time speaks volumes of us as Indians and as organisers.
He added, "Hats off to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to convince people to come back to play. It shows the ability of the country that we can do this despite the hiccups,” he added.
Singh recalled how the whole team was in Delhi when the suspension was announced.
“As a franchise, the first thing was to take stock of what was happening but there was nothing much one could do. We were in Delhi at that point of time. We had just reached Delhi on May 6, and we continued to be there for 2-3 days. We took a conscious call if somebody did want to go back then we are not going to stop them.”
While most of the players in the team were in the wait and watch mode, two foreign players Jos Buttler and Gerald Coetzee had to return to their country.
“Two players who were supposed to come back with us to Ahmedabad as we had decided to go back and see if there is any clarity and then take a call of letting our players and staff decide if they want to go back because at that time there was uncertainty if the IPL will happen or not. But from Delhi it was easier for the two players to leave for their respective places, and they left the same morning we flew to Ahmedabad.”
Gujarat Titans (GT) have picked Kusal Mendis as a replacement for Jos Buttler, who is set to leave on May 26, 2025, after GT's last league-stage game against Chennai Super Kings on May 25, 2025. The replacement will be effective from May 26, 2025.
“We were in touch with the two players who had clearly said that they will be back whenever there is an update on IPL and now both the players are back. The entire team is together,” Singh said.
He is confident of the team will put their best foot forward.
“The team had good practice sessions in the Ahmedabad stadium. The suspension has not disrupted much for us. In Delhi, there were no practice sessions because of the situation back then. When we got back to Ahmedabad, we had practice sessions on May 13 and 14. We kept players informed. We gave them the complete picture of what was going on and the possibility of IPL.”
Like players, Singh said the sponsors also remained confident.
“We immediately got in touch with our (brand) partners when the suspension was announced. Such situations do disrupt planning and marketing activities. Everyone was worried however not much of an impact on the plans of our partners.”
Singh doesn't estimate any impact on the franchise’s revenue due the week-long suspension.
Logistically also he said the franchise didn't face any challenge.
“We had a game on May 11 in Delhi, and we were supposed to fly back to Ahmedabad on May 12. The team uses only charters. All we had to do was call the airlines to advance the schedule to May 10. So, logistically not much of an impact,” Singh added.
