Success of Indian cricket down to IPL, believes Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi has credited the India Premier League for being the primary reason for Indian cricket’s success at the international level. Since the inception of the IPL, domestic cricketers donning the Indian cap have performed instantly at the international level,  with the recent examples of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant fitting the bill. Afridi also felt that IPL has helped the country’s budding cricketers to cope with the pressures and rigours of international cricket.

"I think the IPL turned around Indian cricket. Their new players after having played in the IPL with top foreign players and having shared the dressing room with them are ready when they come into international cricket. They are ready to cope with the pressures at this level," said Afridi as quoted by Times of India.

The Pakistan Super League has also helped Pakistan Cricket immensely, with several young cricketers, including the country's latest pace sensation Mohammad Hasnain, making their name through the league. In the ongoing season, already, young players like Zeeshan Ashraf have already shown glimpses of their talent and the presence of quality overseas stars has also elevated the standard of the league.

Afridi believes that the PSL can do for Pakistan what the IPL has done for Indian and believes that the exposure that the youngsters get by spending quality time with senior overseas players will help them bear fruit when they eventually make their way to the big stage.

"I think the IPL changed their cricket and I think even our Pakistan Super League will do the same. Already we are seeing some good young players coming through the league. When you play with or against top international players before big crowds you learn to handle the pressure." he added.