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Pune coach Marsh against player retention

New Sahara Pune Warriors coach Geoff Marsh has said he would like to see all the players go into the auction for IPL 4

Cricinfo staff
06-Jul-2010
Geoff Marsh plans to implement a rotation policy for the Sahara Pune Warriors to keep players fresh during the tournament  •  Getty Images

Geoff Marsh plans to implement a rotation policy for the Sahara Pune Warriors to keep players fresh during the tournament  •  Getty Images

New Sahara Pune Warriors coach Geoff Marsh has said he would like to see all the players go into the auction ahead of the fourth season of the IPL because any retention of players would put the new franchises at a disadvantage.
"We at Sahara are very keen that retention be done away with and all players go into an open auction pool," Marsh told ESPNStar. "If this doesn't happen we will have to start at a disadvantage. Allowing franchises to retain players will place us in great difficulty in fielding a competitive team and can even impact upon the standard of the tournament."
The BCCI is aware of Sahara's preference and Marsh was confident the board will consider "the principle of fair play" and abandon the retention policy. Marsh also said the BCCI was considering a proposal to fix an upper limit for the number of matches each player can play to reduce the risk of burnout. But whether the board decides to fix a limit or not, Sahara will introduce a rotation policy for its team.
"Rotation is surely something we will follow," Marsh said. "There have been many squads where players haven't got a chance to play and this has often resulted in discord. Even international players haven't been given enough matches. If you follow a carefully crafted rotation policy you can surely reduce the possibility of burnout."
That being said, the primary cause of player fatigue, according to Marsh, was not the number of matches being played but the hectic travel schedule dictated by the IPL. A more rational schedule would therefore go a long way towards reducing the stress on the players. "Normally players practice three hours a day and a Twenty20 match is only three hours of effort in the middle. So, more than the matches, careful and well thought scheduling can reduce the possibility of burnout."
Marsh, a former Australian opener, was appointed coach of the Sahara Pune Warriors on Monday. Marsh's coaching credentials include overseeing Australia's march to the title in the 1999 World Cup and being in charge of Zimbabwe between 2001 and 2004. He will be assisted by former England allrounder Dermot Reeve, whose most recent assignment was a year coaching New Zealand's Twenty20 champions Central Districts.