IPL 2017: Gujarat Lions' Basil Thampi describes league as a big opportunity for domestic players

Rajkot: Kerala pacer Basil Thampi, who was picked up by Gujarat Lions for the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), feels that being a part of this T20 tournament is a big opportunity for young domestic players like him. “IPL is a good platform for young domestic players, who get a chance to play with and against international players, and for me its a big opportunity,” Thampi told media persons at Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium in Khandheri, Rajkot. [caption id=“attachment_3360646” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Basil Thampi. Image courtesy: News18[/caption] Thampi was bought during the IPL auction by Gujarat Lions for Rs 85 lakh against his base price of Rs 10 lakh. The bowler would be paid much higher than experienced Munaf Patel and Manpreet Gony, who will also play for Gujarat Lions in IPL-10. However, the young pacer considers T20 format as a big challenge particularly for the bowlers. “Bowling is a big challenge in shortest format of the game, but luckily I am getting tips from skipper Suresh Raina and experienced bowlers like Praveen bhai (Praveen Kumar) and Munaf bhai (Munaf Patel),” he said. Gujarat Lions chose Thampi as the team franchise owner wanted to make its bowling department stronger and the new entrant has an ability to bowl around 140 kmph consistently. Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will attend the opening ceremony of Gujarat Lions at the SCA stadium, where they will play the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Niranjan Shah, former honorary secretary of SCA said. Also, KKR co-owners Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan and actress Juhi Chawla are expected to be present during the match to cheer up their team.