"India and IPL have not only changed my life but also my cricket career" - Marcus Stoinis
Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has hailed India and the Indian Premier League (IPL) for changing his and his compatriots' cricketing careers and overall lives for the better.
Stoinis' remarks came in an interaction with Boria Majumdar on his YouTube channel 'RevSportz'. He was asked to describe his relationship with India and its culture. In reply, the 32-year-old said India and the IPL have opened their eyes by giving the Aussies the opportunity to work with coaches and players from all around the world.
Stoinis explained:
"Look, to an extent for a lot of the Australian cricketers, but personally, what India and the IPL have done for my cricket - it's not only has changed my life but also changed my cricket career. Leading into the things like the IPL we've been in our own bubble, with our own coaches with our own mates playing in the same team. Whereas the IPL has opened our eyes with access to coaches all over the world in different conditions, from players, I think you learn more from players than anyone else."
Stoinis lamented not being able to link with Indian culture much in the last two years. But he also remarked that he and his teammates find the Indian cricket fans "the best in the world", revealing that they feel glad to see Indians outnumbering Australians at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The all-rounder said:
"Unfortunately, though, in the last couple of years, in terms of the culture of India, we haven't been able to be there or we've been in lockdown. But the fans of Indian cricket are the best in the world. We even talk about it when we are playing for Australia. If there's a game at the MCG, there's probably 5 to 1 Indian fans to Australian fans here so yes that's definitely something I am looking forward to in coming back and hopefully having the IPL in India this year and being able to immerse myself in the culture a little more."
Stoinis has been playing in the IPL since 2016 and has represented Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals.
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He's now moved to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the upcoming season as one of the new franchise's draft picks. However, he still might not get to immerse himself in the culture of the north Indian city, with the IPL 2022 likely to be restricted to Maharashtra.
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When asked in what direction he would like to see LSG move in in its debut year, Stoinis pointed to four-time champions and last year's winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Stoinis said he wants LSG to build an environment of trust like CSK that could help them emerge from difficult results.
He explained:
"I think you learn from the different teams you are playing [against]. Even for example when I look a team like Chennai, two years ago we played the IPL and they finished last (7th). And the auction got delayed and they weren't allowed to pick up new players and then the next year rolls around and they've kept the exact same team, not much has changed, and they go on to win the tournament."
The Australian added:
"I think that's a nice lesson in sport that sometimes we are caught chasing our tails and you've got to understand that if you can build the relationship and the environment of trust between each other [it will bring success], I think that is going to be key for a new franchise."
The IPL 2022 is likely to kick off in the last week of March.