Like other leading South Africans, Herschelle Gibbs won’t be in at the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this week, but he is itching to get a chance to show off his Twenty20 skills in the company of the best players of the world.
The tournament that could revolutionise cricket starts on Friday and apart from being the most hyped cricket event in history, it could be among the most viewed.
Every match will be shown live by SuperSport in South Africa, while the Indian investors who have spent so extravagantly clearly expect millions of Indians to be following the games.
“I’m going to tell all my producers to not release any movie between April 19 and May 30. It will be suicide,” said Preity Zinta, a Bollywood actress and joint- owner of the Mohali-based Kings XI Punjab franchise, one of only two of the eight teams that has not signed at least one South African.
Gibbs and other SA stars will have to wait until they have finished their Standard Bank Pro20 obligations before they fly out to India.
With Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy and Monde Zondeki all available, more than half the Cape Cobras players who helped their side qualify for the semifinals could be jettisoned for the knockout stages, which culminate in the final on April 25.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see who plays for us in the semifinals,” said Gibbs, whose own contributions to the franchise’s success have been patchy.
Gibbs has been in touch with the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers team that signed him for 575000 a season. “They say it’s no problem for me to join them a bit late. If the Cobras reach the final I will probably miss three games.”
He’s not sure whether his late arrival will have an impact on his pay packet.
What he is sure about is that the IPL will be spectacular. The Hyderabad side looks particularly exciting with explosive batsmen such as Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Shahid Afridi, as well as Gibbs himself in the line-up.
“It’s a combination which could do serious damage to bowling line-ups,” said Gibbs. The downside is that the Chargers’ bowling attack , spearheaded by Chaminda Vaas and RP Singh, is not the most formidable among the franchises.
“I expect the standard will be very high,” said Gibbs. “For any international player, your reputation is always at stake when you go out on the field.”
For Gibbs, 34, the IPL is a financial bonanza, especially now that his Test career may be over, but he says that playing good cricket remains what he most wants to do.
“The Test side is looking like a settled combination and Neil McKenzie (who took Gibbs’s opening batsman berth) has played really well. I’m very happy for Neil. I’ve known him a long time and I’m glad he has got this chance.”
Gibbs said he hadn’t completely given up on playing Test cricket again. “I’m taking it day by day. I had a brief chat with Mickey (Arthur) when I was in Bangladesh and he indicated he was keen to have a few experienced players for the tour of England.”
Gibbs, who remains a probable choice for the one-day part of the tour, has produced some of his best performances in England. His consistency on an SAA team tour in 1996 earned him his first call-up for the national team, he shone at the 1999 World Cup and he was one of the stars of the 2003 Test series.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing in England. It’s a tour everyone wants to go on, but I would rather be playing cricket than watching.”
Gibbs explained the latter remark by saying there were “one or two offers” which could see him playing in England this year, whether he is a member of the Test squad or not. “There is a possibility of some county stuff. There are one or two decisions that have to be made.”
First, though, there is a titl