IPL Has Been A Life-Changer For Me: Uncapped Delhi Capitals Star On Debut Season
Delhi Capitals all-rounder Vipraj Nigam feels the ongoing IPL has brought a lot of changes in his life, and said the learnings which he got by sharing the dressing room with greats of the game will definitely help him in his nascent career. The 20-year-old Nigam, who was picked for Rs 50 lakh by DC, has been impressive in the IPL with both bat and ball. Reflecting on the life-changing experience of sharing the dressing room with senior players, Nigam said: "There have been a lot of changes in life. With the IPL, things always change - you get the chance to share the field with such big, senior players, to learn from how they go about things, and to experience their approach up close.
"These are all new experiences for me, and I'll try to apply the same learnings in my own game." Nigam praised DC coaching staff for providing him clarity about his all-round ability.
"When I was picked by Delhi Capitals, even before that, I had discussions with my coaches and the management. They always told me they see me as an all-rounder. They had seen my batting in league and domestic cricket, so the message was clear - while I would be expected to bowl 2-4 overs, I also had to focus equally on my batting," he told JioHotstar.
"From our practice matches itself, that role was well defined. The coaches consistently told me to work on both aspects of my game." The young cricketer from Barbanki, Uttar Pradesh credited his childhood coach for shaping his cricketing career.
"I have played the UPT20 League. The best part for me was the support I got from my coach. He helped me understand that if you're a bowler - and if you're unable to hit sixes or finish games - you limit your overall growth. Spending time with him really helped me develop as a player," Nigam said.
He believes the stint at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) was the turning point in his evolution as a bowler.
"When I went to the NCA after playing for my state, the coaches there really helped me grow. I went as a batsman, but I practised both batting and bowling.
"As a leg-spinner, they told me to start taking my bowling seriously. Earlier, I used to bowl just 2-3 overs as a part-timer, but after going to the NCA, that mindset changed completely," Nigam concluded.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
RCB's bitter victory - The cost of celebration
Bengaluru: An aerial view of fans gathering for Royal Challengers Bengaluru�s fan engagement programme after the team won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo) (PTI06_04_2025_000476B) By Vinod Jacob, Urban strategist and general manager, Namma Bengaluru Foundation The finger-pointing began almost as soon as the news broke. On June 4, a devastating stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium shattered what, less than 24 hours earlier, had been a moment of pure jubilation for Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans, celebrating their first IPL trophy win after eighteen agonising seasons. Eleven lives were claimed, and dozens were injured. The irony was palpable: a triumph long yearned for, now overshadowed by loss. Arrests were made. Officials suspended, followed by more resignations, ex gratia promises — and even calls for Virat Kohli's arrest — while the blame game raged on. But this isn't merely about individual culpability. This is about a systemic breakdown — a question of total administrative failure, especially when dealing with an event that touches the very core of India's cricket passion. For a nation where cricket borders on religion, any public gathering of this magnitude demands meticulous foresight. Was M Chinnaswamy Stadium, with its 35,000-seat capacity, ever truly suitable for a city-wide victory parade, particularly one made free after initially being a paid event? The answer, tragically, is no. The entire celebration should have been shifted to a venue, like the Palace Grounds, the BIEC, or a similar venue, offering proper entry/exit points and capacity for millions. The fact that RCB was headed to the finals had been known for a full week. This provided ample time for the responsible authorities to engage in comprehensive planning, coordinate with the police machinery, and anticipate the monumental public turnout. To now deflect blame onto an already overburdened police department, reeling from the previous night's unruly celebrations where citizens went berserk, pulling out barricades, seems not just unfair, but a convenient diversion from deeper administrative shortcomings. And why was there need for two locations? A single, well-planned convergence at one venue could have ensured effective crowd management, robust contingency plans, and, most critically, citizen safety. That safety aspect appears to have been completely disregarded. The stadium's own infrastructure is wanting – narrow, unramped gates with metal obstructions, utterly incapable of handling a rush, even for a normal game, let alone a historic celebration. Bengaluru has hosted large-scale gatherings before; surely lessons could have been learned from major shows that proceeded without incident. Other metros – Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai – have successfully orchestrated similar mass celebrations. Why, then, can Bengaluru, the supposed IT capital, not leverage technology for better crowd management, anticipating flows and ensuring security? A bus parade, like those seen elsewhere, would have been infinitely safer than directing millions to a fixed point of convergence. Unchecked chaos also inflicted damage on Cubbon Park. Trees, plants, and even birds' nests were destroyed due to the event's chaotic spillover — another terrible blow to Bengaluru's strained biodiversity, a particularly painful scar on the so-called 'Garden City'. Fans have every right to celebrate after an 18-year wait; they cannot be blamed for their exuberant outpouring. While citizens do bear some responsibility for failing to adhere to basic crowd control measures like queuing and respecting barricades, the primary culpability lies with the planning. The critical misallocation of manpower at free gates, with too few police for too many unmanned entry points and the added burden of VIP security, tragically sealed the fate for those eleven lives. The euphoria of victory has been drowned out by the cries of anguish. Bengaluru must now reflect, learn, and ensure that no triumph, no matter how sweet, is ever again marred by such preventable sorrow. The blame isn't diffused; it lies squarely with a system unprepared to manage its grand moments. What systemic changes will we truly implement to prevent history from tragically repeating itself ?
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru stampede: IPS officer challenges suspension order
Bengaluru: Suspended IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash Monday moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), challenging the govt's order suspending him for dereliction of duty. Vikash is one of the five officers suspended. The suspension order, citing Rule 3(1)(a) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969, alleged that Vikash, along with other officers, failed to take adequate crowd-control and safety measures despite prior knowledge of the celebrations. However, it doesn't specify the exact role, negligence or wilful misconduct attributable to him. The order highlighted the fact there wasn't enough time to prepare for such a huge event, but was silent on how the tragedy could be attributed to Vikash and the other officers. The applicant stated in his application that he has been made a scapegoat. Retired officers' plea to CM Meanwhile, nearly 30 retired IPS officers have written to chief minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to revoke the suspension of senior police personnel over the June 4 stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In their open letter, they stressed that punitive action should follow judicial inquiry, not precede it. The officers said the RCB management first announced the victory celebrations on social media, drawing lakhs of fans to the stadium within hours of the IPL final. The hasty celebrations were arranged due to travel plans of RCB's foreign and local players, the letter said. They noted that police had warned the organisers in writing about the risks of holding such a large event on short notice. Calling the suspension of police officers unjust, the letter stated they were made scapegoats while the real accountability lay with RCB, KSCA and the organisers.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
AIYF leaders demand cancellation of IPL matches due to negative impact on youth and rise in betting
CPI affiliated All India Youth Federation (AIYF) Visakhapatnam district unit leaders and activists have demanded cancellation of IPL cricket matches across the country as they are spoiling the lives of the youth, especially students. The latest incident in which 11 youths died due to a stampede in Bengaluru is an example of the commercial sports programme and its direct impact on the youth and their lives, the activists said. Speaking to reporters at the Gandhi statue here on Monday, AIYF district president Y. Rambabu and secretary Achyutharao said that corporate companies have spoiled cricket by luring players with money to create a special cricket division called IPL. It has become a business event of these corporate bigwigs. In the name of sports, these IPL owners are running a sports programme where the youth and students are targetted. The youth are addicted to this commercial entertainment programme, and suffer huge financial and career losses, they added. In those days, government authorities used to organise One Day International (ODI) matches between countries, and the players and matches were entirely from a particular country, so those players inspired Indians. But in the case of these IPL matches, there are rivalries with Indian players when they represent different IPL franchises. They lamented that this creates an unhealthy situation in the minds of the youth. More importantly, during IPL matches, the youth fall for cricket betting. They said that many middle-class people are suffering from this evil act.
