'Feels Like It Has All Just Passed In A Flash': Manish Pandey On His 19-year IPL Journey

'Feels like it has all just passed in a flash': Manish Pandey on his 19-year IPL journey (Image Source: IANS)

Indian Premier League: Veteran right-handed batter Manish Pandey, who’s one of only four players to feature in every edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008, says his 19-season journey feels like it has gone by in a flash.

Pandey will be turning out for three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2026, when they open their campaign against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium. In 174 IPL games, Pandey has made 3,942 runs at a strike rate of 121.52.

“It's been a great journey for me - 19 years and 19th year going on right now. Started with MI in the first year after the U19 World Cup. It was a great memory to start with, but honestly, it feels like it has all just passed in a flash, in a moment. So I've seen from 2008 to about 2026, this year going on.

“It's been a great memory overall in general and happy to be one of those few players who've been part of all the IPLs and trying to do justice to myself, to this game. It's purely here because of the passion and the love for the game,” said Pandey in a video by IPL on Sunday.

Pandey holds the distinction of being the first Indian to score a century in the IPL in 2009 and reflected on how the tournament has evolved and shaped his career. “Absolutely. We were just young, 18-19 year olds. Just trying to discover the game, discover yourself. Second season, got a hundred in South Africa in the IPL 2009 for RCB, and it was a great feeling.

“The way the tournament was going for us, I was not expecting that I'd open the inning and get that opportunity to get those runs, which has helped me a lot. But definitely, it was a great memory being the first Indian to get a hundred and the youngest then. But now it's obviously somebody else has the record.

“But just being in the situation from that point of view is really amazing. This game has taught us a lot. Obviously, this tournament has taught us a lot and we are continuously evolving with it. Hopefully, we learn a lot more. It was a little different back then when we started.

“We all were still understanding the whole dynamics of the tournament and ourselves that we were discovering. It has come a long way. IPL has grown so much in these 19 years and I'm pretty sure that it will just keep on growing for ages to come. Not only from the players' perspective, but from everybody, the sponsors, fans and the amount of joy this game or tournament has given to a lot of fans is unbelievable,” he elaborated.

Pandey further stated that the IPL has grown into one of the most influential tournaments in the cricketing world and providing a platform for young talent to emerge. “For us as players, back then, even a 160 would be a good game and 140 were defended. But now, the pace of the game has changed. It's a lot faster - so many high-scoring games. The kind of bowlers, the kind of variations that come in, there are too many now.

“So, it has really evolved and I'm happy to see it being in the center of the whole thing. IPL is one of the main tournaments in world cricket right now. Obviously, it has tested a lot of players who have seen it for one year and some who have, you know, seen it for a very long time. Obviously, it has really helped cricket to grow in general. As I said, in the center of all the affairs where it comes to discovering talents and then moving.

“Even as a player, I think IPL, what it has done is made the game go bigger in terms of, kind of, the talents that are coming in, the kind of requirement this game has right now. So, IPL has done all that for all the players and I am happy to see all this. We do think about playing for India all the time - that's always been our dream.

“So, what really helps you play for India is tournaments like these. As Indians, we always think about playing for India after this because IPL is something that people look at and selectors are following. So, definitely it is a great journey. If we talk about pressure, there is pressure because, as I said, this tournament is such where you have to perform to stay here and luckily, I've been doing that for a while,” he said.

“Even as a player, I think IPL, what it has done is made the game go bigger in terms of, kind of, the talents that are coming in, the kind of requirement this game has right now. So, IPL has done all that for all the players and I am happy to see all this. We do think about playing for India all the time - that's always been our dream.

“So, it definitely helped me as a cricketer in that department and playing for India after that was very, very special as well. So, IPL has been really kind and very good. Happy to be part of this pressure, but at the same time, enjoying this game as well.”

Article Source: IANS