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They are players who haven't made it big, but yet have the potential thanks to their past performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the last few years, IPL has emerged as a hunting ground for talent that can be roped into the national squad. The format hasn't disappointed throwing up players such as R Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Manoj Tiwary, many of whom have also caught the eye of advertisers. Manoj Tiwary, for instance, is on the rolls of sports apparel manufacturer Puma as a brand ambassador.
This year too there are a list of probable candidates who have it in them to make it big. This includes names such as Naman Ojha, Manvinder Bisla, Mithun Manhas, Shadab Jakati, Manish Pandey and Swapnil Asnodkar. Included in this list is also right-hand, middle-order batsmen Ambathi Rayudu who though called in December last year to represent the national side has yet to play a single match for the country.
Says Shailesh Kapoor, chief executive officer and co-founder of media insights firm Ormax Media, "Good performance in IPL can catapult a player into the Indian team. From then on the player has to be consistent enough to ensure he becomes attractive to advertisers. But yes, there is no denying that quite a few players have made it to the national squad in the recent past due to their performance in IPL."
Persons in the know say that players such as R Ashwin, Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja are being wooed by advertisers since they are part of the new brigade that has slowly but steadily begun to assert itself in the national team even as veterans such as Yuvraj Singh, Virendra Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir begin to fade.
Indranil Das Blah, partner at celebrity and sports management firm CAA Kwan says, "There have been a few inquiries for Ashwin and Jadeja. They are at the preliminary stage at the moment. But yes, the interest is certainly there." He declined to specify the names of companies who had approached the players.
Bunty Sajdeh, chief executive officer, Cornerstone Sports & Entertainment, who represents cricketer Murali Vijay says, "Following his performance recently against Australia, yes there are expressions of interest from advertisers. But we are looking at a few more knock-out performances from Vijay to seal a few deals."
Typically, players who make their way into the national squad via IPL are not very expensive. Players could charge anywhere between Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh per brand depending on how keen the company is to sign them up.
