"People don't have the patience to sit for four hours" - Northern Warriors co-owner Mohomed Morani on T10 format's success
The Indian Masters T10 League will mark the advent of the short, fast-paced format in the Indian subcontinent. With the legends of the game all set to face off in an enthralling new format, it will be interesting to see how this game garners popularity.
The format, however, is not unknown to the rest of the world. There have been multiple seasons of the Abu Dhabi T10 League already hosted, and pretty successfully too. From there on, it has expanded and found its way to other countries as well.
Mohomed Morani, co-owner of the Northern Warriors, in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, spoke about how he feels the Indian audience might welcome the shortest format of the game. He explained how the Indian audience wants something quick-paced and elaborated on how international players can use their experience in 10-over cricket. This incredible display of power hitting is a testament to the capabilities of players in the shortest format.
"The Indian audience right now wants something like football - ninety minutes for the game. In the game (SA vs WI), what (Johnson) Charles has done, a 37-ball 100, so that is the T10. Players can play like this because they are playing T10. Rovman Powell - where has he come from? He's from a T10 background. Nicholas Pooran as well. They know that in ten overs, they can make 200 runs. Since they have done it there, the confidence is there for the players, especially the West Indians and the Sri Lankans," he said.
Cricket purists will believe that a 10-over format is an absolute travesty, with Test cricket being the 'real' form of cricket. However, with the introduction of shorter formats like T20 cricket, the game has become faster and more exciting. Now, with T10 cricket, the game has reached a new level of excitement and action. With so many entertainment options available, people want something that can provide instant gratification and excitement, and 10-over cricket delivers precisely that.
"People don't have the patience to sit for six hours and watch a game. A result in ninety minutes, full action, filled with sixes and fours, that is what people want. There are so many options in entertainment - movies, OTT, TV Shows - so people want action in ninety minutes and that is what T10 is now the future," he added.
As Morani pointed out, the new shortest format is the next step in the evolution of cricket.
"Earlier there were Tests, then 50-overs, then 20-overs, then 100 balls, and now this, it cannot be reduced further. So basically, T10 is proven," he said.
"Players who played for us last year are much better than the ILT20 players" - Mohomed Morani on the differences between the T10 and T20 leagues
Morani's Northern Warriors have been quite successful in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, emerging as champions twice. Morani went on to state how the quality of the players in the league was better than those who played in the recently concluded ILT20 League.
"In the Abu Dhabi T10 League, I have a team called the Northern Warriors. We have been champions for two years. People are loving the format. The players love to play it. We see that the players who played for us last year are much better than the ILT20 players. The player lot that is in T10 is much bigger and better. Even the top players are more into T10 than the ILT20," he said.
Morani believes that the new format has given players the opportunity to develop new skills and techniques, making them better suited to the T20 format. This has allowed players to be more aggressive in their approach, which has translated into the T20 format. Mohomed Morani is in talks to own a team in the league, and he's optimistic about the future of the format.
"In a short format, they are getting used to playing this game, which is helping T20s now. We are in talks and let's hope everything works out," he added.
"He should not interfere in the cricket" - Mohomed Morani sets example for team owners
Having previously had the experience of running the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Morani went on to procure his own team. He explained all that went behind running a successful franchise. He revealed that they splurged some big money on Robin Singh, a name that is not unknown in the sporting industry and has been a part of the most successful franchise in the IPL - Mumbai Indians.
"We have had a lot of experience running the Knight Riders (KKR) for seven years in the IPL. After that, we procured our own team. Because of that, the experience counted a lot - the planning in T10 and having a good coach. We had Robin Singh as our coach, a very expensive one, when we won both our cups. He was a Mumbai Indians coach, and he took Mumbai Indians to victory too," he said.
Morani emphasized the importance of the owner not interfering in the game, regardless of the outcome. He believes that every game has a winner and a loser and a it is inevitable that a player or team will not perform on a certain day, for which they shouldn't be admonished.
"The owner definitely plays a very big role but he should not interfere in the cricket. Cricket should be played by the professionals, the players. You shouldn't put pressure on them saying you got out today, you didn't play well. Everybody's got a bad day, a bad ball coming. It is a game where somebody has to win, somebody has to lose. They have to go there, play the game, enjoy the game - that's what I tell my players," he added.
The Indian Masters T10 League will feature some of the biggest names in Indian cricket such as Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Murali Vijay along with international stars such as Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle and Brett Lee.