Sunil Gavaskar has launched a scathing attack on overseas players who pull out of the IPL at the last minute after being signed by franchises, accusing some of citing injuries or other reasons only to
reappear in domestic competitions shortly afterwards.
The batting legend welcomed the BCCI’s decision to impose a two-year ban on players who register for the IPL auction, get picked by a franchise and then withdraw without a genuine reason.
“The BCCI’s ban for two years on those who enter the auction and, after being picked, then withdraw at the last moment, not for injury but brownie points with their local media, is another good move,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar. “They should also ban those who come to the IPL and, when they find they aren’t being picked regularly, feign an injury and return home and then play in their domestic cricket even while the IPL is still going on.”
The former India captain suggested that some overseas players do not treat their IPL commitments with the seriousness they deserve, despite agreeing to be available for the tournament before entering the auction.
“Plenty of overseas players take the IPL for granted and sometimes, in connivance with their Boards, make some excuse and not play in the full tournament as they agreed before they entered the auction,” he wrote.
Gavaskar noted financial implications for franchises, which are often left with little room to find replacements once a player withdraws late in the season.
“The franchise cannot go running around for a replacement at this late hour, and so has no option but to wait for the Board to release the player. Remember, the Boards get 10% of the player fee, not from the player. This is an additional cost to the franchise, and that is why it is important for BCCI to be firm and ensure this does not happen. Cutting the player’s fee according to the number of matches he is missing should also apply to the percentage that the overseas Boards get for their player,” he suggested.
Taking aim at cricket’s traditional power structures, Gavaskar argued that boards benefiting from the IPL should ensure their players honour contractual obligations and complete the tournament.
“The cricketing world has been ruled by the old powers without giving anything to the other Boards. Here, BCCI is giving to the Boards too, and so should be telling them not to take the helplessness of the franchise as a weakness and to cancel the contracts of those who don’t want to play the full tournament. No compromises. This is the IPL, not just the best T20 tournament in the world, but also the making of millionaires out of some really ordinary overseas players,” he wrote.
