IPL: How coaching Staff works on the team
The commencement of each season of the Indian Premier League brings innumerable hopes and aspirations of all the franchises to lift that prestigious trophy in their hands especially when they have a fresh set of players and plans this year.
Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most viewed cricketing leagues across the globe and with such huge limelight and money, every team wants to get the trophy. Getting a trophy not only makes the franchise winner of the season but also increases the brand value of that particular team, which in turn increases the business for that franchise. Thus, teams leave no stone unturned to ensure that they are top-notch in each of the aspects that are required for achieving perfect results on the cricket field.
Staffs behind the team strength
One such aspect of the game comes in the form of support staff, who play an immensely important role for the team throughout the season but behind the curtains. While fans enjoy witnessing their favorite players perform gloriously on the field, a major role that goes unnoticed is the hard work of coaching and supporting staff in a team's success on-field. It is the members of the support staff who help the team maintain a healthy environment inside the dressing room even in unfortunate situations like those of an injury and many more.
Every team hires coaching and supporting experts according to the needs of their teams and players. Some cricketing experts get involved in strategy making, medical experts like physiotherapists who take care of mental health and physical well-being, and individuals for handling the all-important task of arranging the logistics. The team management takes care of the coaching staff which shall assist the players in this season.
Various staffing roles that franchises choose for their teams are:
Head coach, Director of cricket operations, icon/ mentor, batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, strength and conditioning coach, head physiotherapist, bowling consultant, trainer, team manager, team doctor, high-performance analyst, logistics manager, team masseur, assistant coach, assistant bowling coach, spin bowling coach, head of scouting, sports massage therapist, head-business partnerships, head of content and digital, fast-bowling coach, team analyst, batting consultant, mental conditioning coach, team catalyst, etc.
Did you manage to count how many roles are there in a team to make it perfect?
No, we can’t. Franchisees and their heads choose the role best needed for their teams according to the team formed in auctions and lapses that they feel are prevalent and need to be overcome under some abled person's guidance. It’s then they go for hiring a particular professional to diminish the shortcomings existing in their team.
The pursuit for the best
With the advancement in technology, the athlete’s performance is now being pushed to the next level. The athletes themselves know very little about themselves but when a supporting staff from various domains come together, the performance level of an individual athlete is raised enormously which in turn raises the team's performance and efficiency.
During the training of a fast bowler, staff from Head Bowling coach to assistant coach and strength and conditioning specialist to a physio all invest their expertise to bring out the best of any given athlete.
In pursuit of this peak performance level which directly affects team progress across the tournament, franchises are more than happy to spend a few extra bucks on getting the best possible combination of these experts for their valued and expensive athletes which they bought during the auction.
Every team over the years of IPL has seen and understood what it takes to win in a competition this tight, especially in Indian conditions. Following the performances of the team, the franchise understands the needs and weaknesses of the team. Accordingly, the supporting staff is selected for any given franchise.
A basic example can be taken when Sunrisers Hyderabad who has always been known for their tight bowling squad decided to rope in Dale Steyn as their assistant fast bowling coach; justifying their vision and game plan ahead of the tournament.
A team performs whatsoever, but without these supporting staff, these teams are just like an F1 car but without its special mechanics. Just a car!!!