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West Indies wicket-keeper Nicholas Pooran believes that a hefty price tag tends to attract a lot of pressure from the media and fans alike. The 26-year-old will represent Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the upcoming IPL 2022 season.
The 2016 IPL winners roped in the Trinidadian for a whopping sum of ₹10.75 crore. Pooran triggered a bidding war between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL 2022 auction. The Orange Army went all-in for the explosive batter after losing to acquire Ishan Kishan.
Opining that the pressure hits more when the performances do not justify the price-tag, Pooran told ESPN Cricinfo:
"As a professional player, sometimes I guess it does, especially when you're not doing well, the media targets you, a lot of fans criticise you, so it [the fee] definitely does play a part. But as a professional it's your job to put that noise behind you and just try to perform for the team."
He spent the previous edition of the IPL with the Punjab Kings. After a promising first campaign, he endured a nightmare spell in 2022 and eventually lost his place in the team. He scored 85 runs in 12 matches across both legs last year.
Pooran believes that he does not feel the need to prove himself after what transpired in the last season of the IPL. He said:
"It doesn't feel like that. Just because I had one bad season, it's not going to change the player I am. I am doing pretty well in international cricket and everyone sees that. For me it's about giving back to my team - the Sunrisers have invested a lot in me and so I just want to give my all for them - to me it's about being the best version of myself. "
The Caribbean international was released by the Punjab Kings after the 2021 IPL. The franchise chose to retain Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh prior to the mega auction.
"Looking forward to that opportunity to work with Brian Lara" - Nicholas Pooran
Sunrisers Hyderabad executed a revamp in their coaching structure following the departures of VVS Laxman and Trevor Bayliss. West Indies legend Brian Lara was appointed as the batting coach of the side along with several other acquisitions in the backroom staff.
The former batter had an instrumental role to play in Sunrisers' strategy to go for Nicholas Pooran in the auction. Speaking about the opportunity to work under Lara in the upcoming season of the IPL, he said:
"Yeah, we have had a couple of conversations in the recent past. He's simply superb, amazing when it comes to batting and how he views the game. So yeah, looking forward to that opportunity to work with him."
Pooran comes into the tournament on the back of some serious form. The wicket-kepper batter scored three consecutive fifties in the T20I series against India while batting at No.3, last month.
Admitting that he is enjoying his current stint in the top order, the 26-year-old said:
"I've just started to bat at No. 3 [for West Indies] and I'm having some success there. I'm enjoying it at the moment, but for me it's about doing exactly what the team wants. If I'm picked for a situation, a sitting role, I'll give my 100%. So for me, I don't have a favourite number, I know I can bat anywhere and contribute to the team."
SRH have a slew of middle-order batters apart from Pooran such as Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Priyam Garg and the versatile Vishnu Vinod.
