When Kochi Blue Tigers splurged greater than half of its out there purse of ₹50 lakh to purchase Sanju Samson for ₹26.80 lakh many thought it wasn’t a clever transfer particularly when the supply of the Indian participant for your complete length wasn’t assured.
But it was a raffle which Blue Tigers took and eyebrows have been raised once they purchased the oldest participant, the 42-year-old Okay.J. Rakesh, within the public sale. The group was full of Category-C gamers and larger shock got here when it was introduced that Saly Samson could be the captain of the facet.
However, when the event unfolded, Blue Tigers hit kind early and carried out constantly, profitable 10 matches out of the 12 it performed, and have become the worthy champion within the second season of KCL.
Sanju performed solely six matches however left his indelible mark with 368 runs which included a century and three fifties. Without him, the group didn’t resemble a Samson shorn of hair however confirmed a tigerish resolve which put the group in good stead throughout adversity.
Blue Tigers’ unwavering tenacity got here to the fore within the knockout matches towards Calicut Globstars (semifinal) and Aries Kollam Sailors (last).
Raiphy Vincent Gomez, the top coach of Blue Tigers, deserves the credit score for reworking the group right into a crack outfit. The former Ranji captain and training director of Dubai-based Danube Cricket Academy, Raiphy was given all the liberty by the homeowners and he delivered with a title win. Raiphy’s greatest contribution was in turning lesser recognized gamers into match-winners.
From naming Saly as captain to selling Vinoop Manoharan as an opener and choosing a bevy of junior gamers, Raiphy took the important thing selections and he was justified when Blue Tigers gained the title. Riphay’s selections weren’t influenced by the participant’s fame however by qualities which he thought the participant had.
“It was my choice to nominate Saly as captain. I had observed his management qualities once I performed with him and he led the group fairly nicely on this event. I knew Vinoop’s means as an opener whereas taking part in with him for SBI (the then SBT facet). Before the public sale, I instructed Vinoop that he was in my scheme of issues and he could be the opener. My motto is to unearth the latent expertise in a participant and provides them house and freedom to excel. Okay. Ajeesh had by no means opened in his life however after watching him on the nets I believed he had the potential and he delivered as an opener,’’ he mentioned.
“Vipul Shakti, Mohammed Shanu and Mohammed Ashique turned match-winners with correct steerage and care. We have been criticised after we picked Rakesh within the public sale however he defied age to carry out nicely within the matches he performed. Sanju’s presence within the dressing room was an incredible affect on the younger gamers. Sanju, regardless of being unwell, performed six matches. He got here to play the primary match straight from the hospital and it confirmed his dedication. Sanju may have taken it straightforward however he performed the matches in all seriousness. There was lots of planning and we labored on the weak point of the opposition. I alone can not take all of the credit score for the success as I used to be helped by our assist workers and I need to thank them,’’ he added.
