Chennai Super Kings Welcome Prospect of a Full Season With Andrew Flintoff
The Indian Premier League franchise stands to be a big winner from the all-rounder's retirement from Test cricket
The Chennai Super Kings were licking their lips at the prospect of having Andrew Flintoff available for a full Indian Premier League season in 2010. VB Chandrasekhar, director of cricket operations for the Chennai franchise, said: "We'd love to have him play for the full season. I don't think his not being part of the international scene will impact on his value at all. We saw last season what an influence he could be on the team. Players like him and Matthew Hayden are such big stars that people will come to watch them anyway."
Chandrasekhar was not surprised by Flintoff's decision to retire from Test cricket. "It was something that was on the cards," he said. "Freddie's had so many injury problems, so many surgeries. Even during the IPL he had to go away [after three games] and couldn't play as much as we would have liked him to. We've already seen with Jacob Oram how players who have had multiple injury problems can't cope with the stresses of Test cricket, and decide to opt out."
The IPL allows players like Flintoff, for whom the Kings splashed out $1.5m (£900,000) at the player auction in Goa last February, to earn well in a concentrated period and then have more free time.
"I don't think it's a question of money," Chandrasekhar said. "These guys have already made enough. But someone like Freddie has been playing for more than 10 years now. I was speaking to Hayden this season, and while he was so determined to win, he was also very relaxed.
"He was able to spend so much time with his kids. The IPL takes care of the competitive side for them and it's concentrated into two or three months at the most [if you're part of the Champions League]. If they were part of the international circuit, it would mean about 10 months on the road away from the family.
I think you'll see more and more players taking the option to retire a year or so early rather than play through pain. They still have a lot to offer the game and the IPL will provide that outlet."
Chandrasekhar was not surprised by Flintoff's decision to retire from Test cricket. "It was something that was on the cards," he said. "Freddie's had so many injury problems, so many surgeries. Even during the IPL he had to go away [after three games] and couldn't play as much as we would have liked him to. We've already seen with Jacob Oram how players who have had multiple injury problems can't cope with the stresses of Test cricket, and decide to opt out."
The IPL allows players like Flintoff, for whom the Kings splashed out $1.5m (£900,000) at the player auction in Goa last February, to earn well in a concentrated period and then have more free time.
"I don't think it's a question of money," Chandrasekhar said. "These guys have already made enough. But someone like Freddie has been playing for more than 10 years now. I was speaking to Hayden this season, and while he was so determined to win, he was also very relaxed.
"He was able to spend so much time with his kids. The IPL takes care of the competitive side for them and it's concentrated into two or three months at the most [if you're part of the Champions League]. If they were part of the international circuit, it would mean about 10 months on the road away from the family.
I think you'll see more and more players taking the option to retire a year or so early rather than play through pain. They still have a lot to offer the game and the IPL will provide that outlet."
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