New Delhi: Australian pace guru Dennis Lillee believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all about serious cricket and not just wholesome entertainment.

Lillee, who is the bowling coach of the Delhi DareDevils, said too much was being made of showmanship in Twenty20 cricket.

“Hardly anyone out here pointed out the fact that players are involved in serious cricket in this tournament. These players are dead serious about their cricket and are playing for the pride of their teams,” Lillee said on Thursday.

The Australian legend agreed that there is a bit of showmanship involved in the IPL. “If showmanship comes along, it’s fine, but definitely cricket is more important.”

Lillee also had a few tips for the bowlers playing in the shortest version of the game. He admitted that bowling in Twenty20 is always a new challenge and bowlers needed to adopt a different mindset.

“Bowlers will have to learn how to send down those four overs and still come out unscathed,” Lillee said. “The format is such that even the best delivery of the match can disappear to the boundary.”

Lillee said that the IPL has provided a golden opportunity for the upcoming talents to pick the brains of the star bowlers, especially when they share the same dressing room.

“For a youngster, the best thing is to sit and listen to the seniors. They can learn how to prepare for a match, how they change line and length when needed,” Lillee said.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, who joined the Delhi DareDevils practice on Thursday, said that the IPL has turned out to be a big hit in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“During our tour of Bangladesh, all we used to watch in the dressing room was IPL,” said Malik. “In Pakistan, people there have lapped it up like movies. It’s like enjoying a cinema with popcorn. The three-hour duration also helped to create the craze,” the Pakistan captain added.

Malik was confident that the Delhi DareDevils would maintain a clean slate in the league stages. “We are a good team and our captain (Sehwag) is a great batsman. His knock of 94 against Deccan Chargers was thrilling. His innings will encourage all others in the team to do well,” Mailk said.