Raiphy’s gambles pay off for Blue Tigers

When Kochi Blue Tigers splurged more than half of its available purse of ₹50 lakh to buy Sanju Samson for ₹26.80 lakh many thought it wasn’t a wise move especially when the availability of the Indian player for the entire duration wasn’t guaranteed.

But it was a gamble which Blue Tigers took and eyebrows were raised when they bought the oldest player, the 42-year-old K.J. Rakesh, in the auction. The team was packed with Category-C players and bigger surprise came when it was announced that Saly Samson would be the captain of the side.

However, when the tournament unfolded, Blue Tigers hit form early and performed consistently, winning 10 matches out of the 12 it played, and became the worthy champion in the second season of KCL.

Sanju played only six matches but left his indelible mark with 368 runs which included a century and three fifties. Without him, the team didn’t resemble a Samson shorn of hair but showed a tigerish resolve which put the team in good stead during adversity.

Blue Tigers’ unwavering tenacity came to the fore in the knockout matches against Calicut Globstars (semifinal) and Aries Kollam Sailors (final).

Raiphy Vincent Gomez, the head coach of Blue Tigers, deserves the credit for transforming the team into a crack outfit. The former Ranji captain and coaching director of Dubai-based Danube Cricket Academy, Raiphy was given all the freedom by the owners and he delivered with a title win. Raiphy’s biggest contribution was in turning lesser known players into match-winners.

From naming Saly as captain to promoting Vinoop Manoharan as an opener and picking a bevy of junior players, Raiphy took the key decisions and he was justified when Blue Tigers won the title. Riphay’s decisions were not influenced by the player’s reputation but by qualities which he thought the player had.

“It was my decision to appoint Saly as captain. I had noticed his leadership qualities when I played with him and he led the team pretty well in this tournament. I knew Vinoop’s ability as an opener while playing with him for SBI (the then SBT side). Before the auction, I told Vinoop that he was in my scheme of things and he would be the opener. My motto is to unearth the latent talent in a player and give them space and freedom to excel. K. Ajeesh had never opened in his life but after watching him at the nets I thought he had the potential and he delivered as an opener,’’ he said.

“Vipul Shakti, Mohammed Shanu and Mohammed Ashique became match-winners with proper guidance and care. We were criticised when we picked Rakesh in the auction but he defied age to perform well in the matches he played. Sanju’s presence in the dressing room was a great influence on the young players. Sanju, despite being ill, played six matches. He came to play the first match straight from the hospital and it showed his commitment. Sanju could have taken it easy but he played the matches in all seriousness. There was a lot of planning and we worked on the weakness of the opposition. I alone cannot take all the credit for the success as I was helped by our support staff and I must thank them,’’ he added.