IPL Is The Biggest Domestic Competition: Kane Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Monday opined that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest domestic tournament in world cricket. One of the best batsmen in the world, Kane Williamson has been plying his trade in the IPL since 2015.

He plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad and also led the side in the last two seasons. In his first season as captain, he led the team to the final while last year, the Hyderabad-based team’s journey ended at the playoff stage. Earlier this year, Sunrisers Hyderabad removed him as captain and re-appointed David Warner.

Having played five seasons in the IPL, Kane Williamson believes that the IPL is the biggest domestic competition in the world. He also said that IPL has convinced many countries to start their own T20 leagues.

“The initial interest was obviously watching the IPL and seeing how big it was, it is the biggest domestic competition, T20 cricket being relatively new, what I saw was an opportunity to gain experience and learn,” Kane Williamson told Ravichandran Ashwin on the spinner’s YouTube show titled ‘DRS with Ash’.

“For us, to see the passion for cricket in India is an amazing thing, it is a brilliant competition and there is a high standard, a lot of other countries have followed suit to start their leagues,” he added.

IPL indeed has been the pioneer of franchise cricket. After its immense success, the likes of Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries started their own leagues. But no league in the world has managed to match the aura of the IPL.

Kane Williamson further spoke on the difference in leading New Zealand and an IPL side.

“It is quite different to lead New Zealand and an IPL franchise, initially I did not know what to expect, but like I mentioned it is an Indian competition so you are coming into quite a different culture, I was trying to keep an open mind, there is a lot of experience in all of the groups, it was an enjoyable season to lead the SunRisers Hyderabad,” Kane Williamson said.

“The support staff have been there at Hyderabad for a long time and they have enjoyed success, it was about maintaining the style of play that we are known for,” he added.

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