Most IPL teams are now looking to beef up their bowling attack at the business end of the tournament, but the Chennai Super Kings have taken a different course. The franchise has recruited a lesser known domestic batsman, Macneil Hadley Noronha, which has caught out the eye of a lot of fans.
It is not a player that has international experience or big auction buzz tagging him. Rather, CSK appear to have concentrated on the potential. As a player Noronha has silently made her mark in Karnataka cricket as a fearless batter who is more of a doer than a doer upper.
What is amazing about his story is the unusual way in which he has walked the journey. From Dubai to India, where he pursued his career in professional cricket, he was a part of a fiercely competitive domestic cricket landscape, climbing the ranks step by step. The transition wasn’t easy, but his performances in state-level tournaments began attracting attention.
One inning in particular impacted the view of people on him. Noronha was also seen in a domestic tournament, when he put in a whirlwind of boundaries and sixes for a triple century marathon to showcase his patient turnaround and aggression. That was his innings that made him a player being scouted by teams.
Timing has played a significant factor in CSK’s success as well. It’s a team that is still in the mix for playoff spots and adding a young hitter at this point in the season indicates that they need some new blood within the organization. The change was made because of injuries, but the youngster has definite long-term potential for the franchise.
The other aspect which sets them apart from a lot of teams is their surroundings. Young players get to learn from top players such as MS Dhoni and the effects of the learning process can transform players’ careers. Noronha may not be in the starting lineup right away, but his presence in the CSK roster could help him grow.
He’s one of the least-familiar faces in the field for now. However, IPL has seen plenty of players who turned out to be headliners for the tournament in a jiffy.
Then CSK seem to be hoping that Macneil Hadley Noronha could be one of those stories.
