In a recent development, New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner has stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the pinnacle of all T20 tournaments while talking about his time with MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Notably, Santner was picked by CSK in the IPL 2018 auction but picked up an injury and could not feature in the tournament that year. However, the Kiwi spinner did get a few games for the team in 2019.
“Yeah, the IPL, I guess, is the pinnacle of all T20 tournaments and I was pretty excited when I was picked up in 2018. There are some world-class spinners in Chennai to talk to and play with – guys like Harbhajan Singh, who I’ve watched a lot of, Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir as well,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Santner as saying.
“When I got injured the first year, I was pretty disappointed, but I was given the opportunity last time around to go and experience it. It’s an unbelievable tournament and definitely the best cricket going around in terms of T20 leagues,” he added.
Santer also stated that he gained immense experience after his stint in the Indian T20 tournament and playing under MS Dhoni.
“I’ve played against Dhoni a lot, so to share a dressing room with him and talk to him about how he goes about things was awesome. Even guys like Suresh Raina – you watched him from other teams you go with,” Santner said.
“The IPL last year was a cool experience as well. It was the first time for me playing at a ground where it spins more, in Chennai, which is nice because you don’t have to do too much. You try and fire it into the wicket and let the wicket do the rest. I guess, for me, it’s about trying to adapt to the conditions as early as possible and find what will be the most attacking ball on each surface,” he added.