FREE HIT - An IPL 2020 talk show with Boria Majumdar: Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal
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00:00When the IPL got cancelled in March, I was on call with you and constantly bugging you,
00:05saying, what do you think?
00:06Will it happen?
00:07Will it happen?
00:08Will it happen?
00:09Finally, it's happening.
00:10Your first thoughts.
00:11Hello and welcome to this very special show, Free Hit.
00:19We are celebrating the IPL here on Gulf News.
00:22And today, somebody who's the face in many way of Indian sport, I mean, you know, JSW
00:28has done incredible to improve Indian sport over the years.
00:33Currently, the owner and the face of the Delhi Capitals team, someone who's a deep, deep
00:39passion, you know, whose passion is almost infectious for sport.
00:43He's done tremendous work for Olympic sport and someone I consider a very dear friend.
00:48Welcome Parth Jindal to the show.
00:50First things first, Parth, when the IPL got cancelled in March, I was on call with you
00:55and constantly bugging you, saying, what do you think?
00:58Will it happen?
00:59Will it happen?
01:00Will it happen?
01:01Finally, it's happening.
01:02Your first thoughts.
01:03No, it's incredible.
01:04I think the IPL is exactly what the country needs at the moment.
01:07Obviously, we're in the grips of a very severe pandemic.
01:12But I think, you know, we have to all come out of this.
01:15And they always say, every doctor who you talk to will always say that positivity is
01:20infectious and positivity is needed to fight any disease.
01:24And I think the IPL will inject that positivity into the economy and into all of us.
01:29And, you know, I'm thrilled that the IPL is happening and, you know, give big kudos to
01:34the BCCI under Sourav and to the government for allowing the IPL to happen in Dubai, in
01:41the UAE.
01:42And, you know, I just can't wait, counting down the days now.
01:44Absolutely.
01:45I mean, you know, I was actually having a chat with Sunil Gavaskar and I asked him this.
01:49I said, Sunny Bhai, there's so many people who criticize the IPL.
01:52Unfortunately, the IPL is not simply about the stars.
01:55There's a whole industry, there's a whole ecosystem behind it.
01:57The IPL has become, you know, a full-fledged business.
02:03It's an integral part of so many people's lives and livelihoods, you know, from journalists
02:09to sportsmen, to advertisers, to agencies, to marketers, you know, everyone depends a
02:17lot on IPL.
02:18You know, it's a very important part of the calendar for many reasons, for sport, of course,
02:24for journalism, of course, but even for advertising and in turn for the economy.
02:29So, you know, it's a great thing that it's happening.
02:32A lot of money was at stake for everybody, for Star Sports, for BCCI, for all of us franchise
02:39owners.
02:40It also shows how serious we are as a country for sport and how serious we are about sport
02:48because globally, all major leagues have resumed and it would have been a real shame if the
02:54Indian Premier League, which is our premier sporting property, did not take place.
03:00But it speaks volumes of our ambition as a sporting nation that it's happening and to
03:07see the kind of response everyone is given IPL, you know, it truly shows how far the
03:14league has come from a fledgling league in 2008 till now.
03:20It's amazing how big this has become.
03:23If you don your team owner hat of the Delhi Capitals, Parth, how will you look?
03:27Last year, you guys came close, you were real close and your team was playing well.
03:33But this year, don your, from the auction, I know you were happy, but give me a sense
03:38of where the team is, they're in Dubai, they're there, give me a sense of how it is all shaping
03:43up for the Delhi Capitals.
03:44I think from last year to this year, I feel like we have strengthened our squad.
03:50If you look at the kind of trades we have made, bringing in Ravi Chandran Ashwin into
03:55the team, bringing in Ajinkya Rahane into the team, these are two top, top Indian players
04:01and two top IPL players and performers.
04:04So the fact that two captains, one, the former Kings XI captain and the former Rajasthan
04:10Royals captain, both chose Delhi Capitals speaks volumes about our ambition.
04:15I think beyond that, we have strengthened our middle order.
04:20Last year, if Rishabh Pant or Shreyas Iyer got out early, Delhi would collapse and we
04:26would find it very difficult to close out games.
04:29This year, bringing in the likes of Shimran Hetmaya, bringing in the likes of Alex Carey,
04:35bringing in the likes of Marcus Stoinis, I think we have strengthened our middle order substantially.
04:40And then, when you look at our bowling, last year when Kagiso Rabada, who had a phenomenal
04:45IPL, left us during the playoffs due to the World Cup, again our team fell apart and Mahendra
04:52Singh Dhoni took us to the cleaners in that playoff game.
04:55So I think this year, with the likes of Anrich Nortje, with the likes of obviously Mohit
05:01Sharma and Ishan Sharma, we have strengthened our fast bowling as well.
05:09So overall, I think we have a much more complete squad.
05:13And it's a great thing that Ricky Ponting is going to have a lot on his plate.
05:17He's going to find it very difficult to select the XI.
05:21And that's always a great problem to have.
05:25And as an owner, or as management, that's what we can do.
05:29We can give the head coach and the captain the best squad that they can possibly have.
05:34And then let them pull their hair out to figure out who is in the XI.
05:38Beautifully said.
05:39Before I ask you a lot more, but one very personal question.
05:44You'll miss Sourav.
05:45You'll miss Dada.
05:46He's your friend.
05:47Come on, talk about that.
05:48I mean, I know…
05:49And he joined Delhi Capitals at your behest.
05:50And all of us know that this is a deep personal bond.
05:54How much will you miss Sourav Damudi?
05:55Oh my God.
05:57On one hand, Sourav is like family.
06:01He's been a mentor to me, like an older brother to me.
06:05He is my absolute hero.
06:07When I look back at my childhood and I look back at one of the most influential people in my childhood,
06:14I would say it is Sourav Ganguly.
06:16When I had the first opportunity to meet him in 2007,
06:20I literally started crying because I couldn't believe that I was meeting him.
06:25In my college room, on one side of my college room, I had a flag of India.
06:30And on the other side, I had a photograph of Sourav Ganguly with his famous cover drive.
06:36So, he means a lot to me.
06:40JSW coming into cricket has Sourav to thank.
06:43Sourav actually was the one who got in touch with us and said that GMR Group and Kiran Rao are looking at a partner.
06:52And Sourav was the one who actually made the deal happen.
06:56When he decided to join Delhi Capitals as our mentor last season, it was a huge moment for all of us.
07:03It was a big honour for us to have him.
07:05And the kind of positivity he brought to the squad, the kind of fire that he brought to the squad,
07:12and the kind of respect he brought to the squad, really symbolises what he was as a captain and what he is as an administrator.
07:22When he called me and said, you know, I got selected as the BCCI president, you know, I won't be able to be with Delhi.
07:29I was very disappointed and very sad.
07:32But I know that deep down inside his heart, Delhi Capitals is a very integral part.
07:38And whenever his stint with the BCCI or later the ICC or wherever he goes,
07:46whenever it comes to an end, the door at Delhi Capitals will always be wide open for him.
07:52And we can't wait to get him back.
07:55The squad is going to miss him deeply.
07:57I was talking to Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan and they were both very, very sad that Dada won't be in the dugout.
08:05Ajinkya Rahane and Ashwin, one of the big reasons they chose Delhi Capitals was because of Dada and because of the calls Dada made to them.
08:14So, they were also saying that, you know, he is not with us, but he is with us, but he is not with us.
08:21So, we will miss him.
08:22The moment last year when Dada did the fist pump and did the roar, you know, that really symbolizes him as a leader.
08:32He is infectious.
08:33But I think Shreyas and Ricky, you know, we have all learnt a lot from Dada.
08:40Dada has also brought a lot to our strategy over the years.
08:46And we will miss him, but we know he is with us.
08:49You are a leader, Parth.
08:50I mean, and you are not a leader simply in terms of business.
08:54I have seen you evolve into a leader of society.
08:57What your company, what you have done for the country in terms of during the pandemic, the amount of help you have given is unbelievably good.
09:05So, we celebrate you for that as well.
09:07If I ask Parth Jindal, the leader, how have you seen Shreyas Iyer evolve?
09:12I have seen in him a real, true leader for the future.
09:16Do you agree with me?
09:17How have you seen him evolve in the last one and a half, two years?
09:21No, absolutely.
09:22I think, you know, that fated day when Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the captaincy of Delhi Daredevils in 2018,
09:33we all were actually, you know, there was a little bit of panic in the dressing room as well as amongst the management that, you know, why has Gautam stepped down?
09:42And, you know, what are we going to do now?
09:44We were, I think, six games in, five losses, one win.
09:49And in stepped Shreyas Iyer.
09:52And Ricky said that, you know, Shreyas is the right choice.
09:56We must entrust him with the job.
09:59And he is a wonderful player.
10:01He's a sure starter in I-11.
10:04And this is the time to back Shreyas Iyer.
10:07Kiran and I had a deep discussion about it.
10:10Obviously, Kiran and the GMR group have to take a lot of credit for that decision.
10:15They backed Shreyas Iyer when he was an unknown entity in 2015.
10:22And they, you know, stuck with him through the years.
10:25When Kiran said, you know, we're giving the captaincy to Shreyas, we all had our doubts.
10:30But the way in those eight games, the way Shreyas marshaled the troops.
10:36And it's not easy to be, you know, standing at the tops with a Mahindra Singh Dhoni or with a Virat Kohli or with a Rohit Sharma.
10:45You know, with all these stalwarts of the game who are legends in their own right.
10:51And at that time, Shreyas hadn't even cemented his place in the Indian team.
10:55So, it was a big step-up for him.
10:58But, you know, youth, we all have youth on our side.
11:02And the confidence and exuberance of youth was there for all to see.
11:06Whether it was his big necklaces, whether it was his rap, whether it was his upside-down cap.
11:12He brought a new energy to the franchise.
11:15He, along with Prithvi Shaw, the shenanigans they had on social media.
11:19You know, it brought cool and it brought swag into the team, which really was very nice to see.
11:27He has strong belief in his own ability.
11:30And we saw that in the IPL last season.
11:35Marshaling the troops. We were joint first in the league stage.
11:39We lost out on net run rate.
11:41And then, you know, in the playoffs, he did a fantastic job.
11:46So, I think… And obviously, since last year till now, he's had another year of international cricket under him.
11:54And a very good year.
11:56Very good year. He's chomping at the bits to get a test call-out now.
12:01That's what we discussed. I met him last week.
12:04And he said, you know, my dream is to play test-match cricket for India.
12:08And I'm looking forward to an opportunity there.
12:12I said, what else is your dream?
12:14He said, my other dream is to win the IPL.
12:17Win the IPL. I don't know how to say that.
12:18I said, that's what I want to hear.
12:21I'm a big believer in his ability.
12:24And I'm very happy with the choice.
12:28And can't wait to see what he does this season.
12:30You create a team also for the fans.
12:34Because Delhi, you know, you have serious fandom in that city.
12:38People supporting you. People supporting the franchise.
12:40They will miss out this year.
12:42You know, can't go to the stadiums, etc.
12:44But you will still play for the fans, right?
12:46You're still about them.
12:48I mean, at the back of your mind, whether it is fan engagement through LED boards and technology,
12:53or whatever it is.
12:54I mean, Delhi Capitals will still be playing for the Delhi Capitals fans.
12:58A word on that?
12:59Absolutely.
12:59I think the fans are why we exist.
13:03And the fans make us who we are.
13:05It's very, very clear.
13:06Last to last year, when I had just started getting involved with the franchise,
13:12I remember the Kotla.
13:13And I remember how polarised the Kotla used to be.
13:17When a Virat Kohli would come with his RCB into Delhi.
13:22Entire stadium, I kid you not, would be cheering for Kohli.
13:26And when Dhoni would come, the entire stadium would be yellow.
13:31You know, so last year, there was a tipping point.
13:36There was a turning point where we were able to connect more with our fans.
13:41That super over when Kagiso Rabada got under Russell.
13:46Clean bowl, middle stump, cartwheeling out of the...
13:49I was at Coventry. I remember that.
13:51That changed Delhi.
13:53And that changed the fans' belief in Delhi.
13:57And we saw after that the kind of blue wave in the stadium.
14:02The DC Toli became alive, who are our ultra fans.
14:07They travelled with the team.
14:08In a way, this season is a slight dampener.
14:11We had a lot of momentum that we had built up.
14:15A lot of excitement in Delhi to watch the new team this year.
14:19But at the end of the day, we are going to do everything to engage with our fans.
14:24This team is for every single Delhiite.
14:27This team is for every single Northern Indian who supports it.
14:34IPL has never been won by a Northern Indian team, barring Rajasthan Royals in the first season.
14:38Correct. First, yeah.
14:40We have to bring the trophy back to the North.
14:43That's the dream and that's the vision for this season.
14:48Before your team assembles, two of your people have spiced it up.
14:51An interesting, healthy discussion going on there.
14:54Man Kading, yes or no?
14:56Ravichandran Ashwin, Ricky Ponting?
14:58For example, I.
14:59If there is a rule, and by the way, as a historian of the sport,
15:02Bill Brown was warned by Vinu Bhai in 1947-48.
15:06So he was well within the rules, as was Ash.
15:08So in that sense, if there is a rule, Ash played by the rules.
15:11What's your personal take?
15:12And this has created quite a flutter on social media.
15:15The good thing to see is tremendous mutual respect.
15:17Having said that, what's your take as team owner?
15:19It wouldn't be right for me to comment on this.
15:23Because a lot has already been written about it.
15:25A lot has already been said.
15:27And this has thrown the cricketing world into…
15:30You know, it has split the cricketing world completely.
15:33I, for one, believe that there is something…
15:37There are rules for a reason.
15:40And what happened last season with Butler was very important.
15:48It's a very important thing for the sport.
15:51If you look at how much…
15:53What separated India from winning the World Cup last year?
15:57It was Mahindra Singh Dhoni.
15:58He was run out by this much.
16:00One inch, yeah.
16:02You know, one inch.
16:03If he had taken that one inch forward during the bowler's run-up,
16:08then maybe he would have been in.
16:09And maybe India would have beaten New Zealand and gotten in to play England in the final.
16:13What separated CSK from losing the final to Mumbai Indians in the IPL?
16:17Mahindra Singh Dhoni by this much again, right?
16:20So, there are rules for a reason.
16:23People must follow the rules.
16:25Having said that, what happened last year is great.
16:28Now every batsman will think twice before doing something.
16:32And that's the way it should be.
16:33And there should be mutual respect.
16:37I think you've answered it brilliantly.
16:38There should be respect.
16:39I think you've answered it brilliantly.
16:40No, there should be respect.
16:41You know, Borya, I believe there should be respect.
16:44You must adhere to spirit of the game.
16:49But at the same time, spirit of the game means, follow the rules.
16:54And whether I would do what Ash did, that's a million-dollar question.
17:00It takes a lot of courage to do what Ravi Chandran Ashwin did.
17:03I salute him for what he did.
17:05But at the same time, you know, it's a very sore topic.
17:11And one must, you know, the two captains should talk before a match and say,
17:17hey, buddy, if your batsman is out of the crease, don't blame me if I do something.
17:23You know, it should be equal for both teams.
17:26You have spoken from the perspective of a statesman.
17:29And that is what I appreciate.
17:31Final words?
17:32Bio bubble.
17:33No fans after such a long wait.
17:36Incredible that the tournament is happening.
17:38Can't wait for it to begin.
17:40All said and done, Parth Jindal.
17:41We show tremendous strength in being able to pull it off.
17:44Final thoughts?
17:46The tournament is just days away.
17:47Bio bubble.
17:48You will be in that thing.
17:50How tough will it be?
17:51You can't meet your players as and when.
17:53You have to sort of be in that little zone.
17:55Will it be mentally challenging?
17:57How are you looking at all of this?
17:58It will be a very different IPL.
18:01You know, I have been watching the CPL on television.
18:04And it's a different ballgame altogether.
18:05Playing in front of empty crowds, etc.
18:08I am looking at the positives, right?
18:10Like, we are so fortunate to have live sport back.
18:13These players are so fortunate to do what they love the most and that's play cricket.
18:18It's a wonderful achievement by all concerned to stage this grand tournament in the UAE.
18:25So, it's definitely going to be difficult.
18:28We are going to interact with...
18:29I am going to be having to interact with both Ricky and Shreyas over Zoom.
18:33It will require discipline.
18:35And you know, they always say,
18:37athletes are always the most disciplined people in society.
18:41So, it is only them who can live away from their families for so many days.
18:47You know, live in one hotel room.
18:50You know, however grand the hotel room is, it is not home.
18:54It's not easy.
18:54But they have this wonderful opportunity to do what they love.
18:59And that's play cricket.
19:00I am excited.
19:01I am going to be in Dubai.
19:02I am not going to be in the bubble.
19:03But you know, just be there.
19:06Support them.
19:07Cheer them on.
19:08And cheer on.
19:09More than Delhi, I want to cheer on the IPL.
19:12The IPL.
19:14That's so well.
19:15I will finish on that.
19:16I mean, Par Jindal saying he will cheer on for the IPL.
19:19And I think that's where he is resonating the views of 1.3 billion Indians who want positivity and optimism.
19:26And a different sea.
19:28Not corona.
19:28But cricket to come back to their lives.
19:30Different numbers.
19:31Not the number of infections and the number of recoveries.
19:34But run rate and scoring rates.
19:37So, we want different numbers to come back to our lives.
19:39Par Jindal, you have made it happen.
19:40As franchise owner, you have made it happen.
19:42And you stand for all of this.
19:43So, more power to you.
19:45More strength to you when you are in Dubai.
19:47Trust you me, I will bug you more.
19:48You have got to come back to this show and the others I do.
19:50Because you are someone I love to have with me all the time.
19:53So, pleasure talking to you.
19:55Thank you very much for being part of Free Hit.
19:57As I said, look forward to many more.
19:58Thank you very much.