IPL 2023: Simple tips for players to stay injury-free this season

The Indian Premier League's latest season has kicked off, and it has been greeted with enthusiasm both by cricketers and the cricket-loving public. One of the important reasons why players miss matches is injury, a number of which are preventable. Ligament injuries, muscle tears, and Tendonitis are amongst the most frequent injuries that can be minimized by proper pre-season and pre-match conditioning. 

Importance of Pre-Game Conditioning

Cricket is an all-body sport that requires all four limbs to be functioning harmoniously for peak performance. Pre-match conditioning is vital to achieve this goal and should include a balanced regime of stretching, strengthening, and endurance activities that recruit all major muscle groups of the upper limb and lower limb. 

Stretching, Strengthening, and Endurance Excess Activities

Performing slow, sustained stretches and isometric and resisted strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups supervised by the team physiotherapist are an important part of pre-match conditioning. 

Targeted strengthening with the help of simple to sophisticated gym equipment including sliding weights, dumbbells and barbells and elasticated resistance bands specifically individualised for a player's specific role in the team goes a long way in injury prevention. 

In addition to that, cardio and endurance workouts, agility, balance training, and coordination training are essential to complete season readiness.

Playing other sports, such as basketball or football as part of cricketers' training regimen is a great team-building activity, adds variety and helps develop muscle groups that are useful in their primary game, cricket. 

Swimming is a great endurance and core muscle-building activity that is also relatively injury-free and is a useful part of their training regime.

Hydration to Prevent Muscle Fatigue

Because the IPL is played during the Indian summer, one of the most important considerations is the risk of dehydration-related injuries. Playing in hot, humid conditions can lead to fluid imbalance, muscle dehydration and lactic acid accumulation in the muscles, leading to muscle fatigue. 

Fatigued and dehydrated muscles are more vulnerable to muscle rupture and tendon injuries. Optimal hydration by drinking one of the commercially available energy drinks or simply plain water with lime juice, salt, and sugar is useful if consumed half an hour before the game and periodically during the game.

A Balanced Diet and a Word of Caution

A planned nutritionally balanced diet, including all the major food groups with an adequate amount of supplements to meet the additional demands imposed by the sport, is critical to sustained performance through the IPL season. 

A word of caution:  indiscriminate use of protein supplements could lead to irreparable kidney damage and is best avoided. Finally, all cricketers should resist the temptation to fall prey to doping in the quest for enhancing their performance, since this could be a career-ending fatal error. 

Carefully following these simple pointers will help our IPL players remain injury-free throughout the season, which will be welcomed by the players, their teams and the cricket-loving audience, both on streaming services and at the stadium! 

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