IPL a great physio, says Ravi Shastri

New Delhi, March 22

In a tongue-in-cheek reference to the riches offered by the IPL, former India head coach Ravi Shastri today said the tournament acts as one of the world’s greatest physiotherapists, with its ability to get injured players fit in time for the league. In his own inimitable way, Shastri said what many within the cricket fraternity, and outside of it, feel regarding players not wishing to miss the cash-rich league due to the high fees it offers. “IPL is one of the greatest leagues in the world, and it’s also one of the greatest physios in the world, because, before the IPL auction everyone wants to get fit, because everyone wants to play in the IPL,” Shastri said.

The 15th edition of the IPL gets underway with a match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Saturday. All the league stage matches will be played in three venues in Mumbai and one in Pune. “All these three pitches (in Mumbai) are red-soil pitches so you get to know how they behave very quickly, you will get similar pitches in the three venues of Mumbai,” he said. —