Indian players must be allowed to play in overseas T20 leagues: Adam Gilchrist | Cricket News – Times of India
MUMBAI: Australian wicketkeeping great Adam Gilchrist feels that it’s high time that the BCCI changes its policy and allows the current India players to go and play in overseas T20 leagues.
“It will be wonderful (If the Indian players are allowed to play in overseas T20 leagues). I personally feel that it won’t diminish or damage the IPL, it will only grow it. If they (the Indian players) can play in Australia or South Africa… but the challenge is that we are all playing our domestic season at the same time, so that is a hard thing, isn’t it? The power of the dollar has carved out a window for the IPL. I get that it will be nice if other nations were given some ability for their T20 competitions and their cricket to prosper. It’s a two-way street,” Gilchrist said at a New South Wales Government event on Friday.
“I really want to highlight six seasons (that I played in the IPL). I loved it, it was a great experience. It is the premier T20 competition in the world, but it is important to allow other boards and countries to prosper as well. It can’t be all about one country’s cricket, I think that is really important. I am not accusing them of it, but it is important,” Gilchrist, who scored 5,570 runs in 96 Tests and 9,619 runs in 287 ODIs, said.
Explaining his point of view, Gilchrist said, “I think the IPL has been a wonderful addition to the cricketing landscape, I played six (editions) of them and I loved it. I need to state that there needs to be a lot of thought put into private owners starting multiple teams in multiple tournaments and about what effect that will have on international cricket potentially. It might be a great thing, it might be a really bad thing, I don’t know the answers. You have to go with caution in understanding what contribution private ownership will have on reinvesting in the game.”
He felt that if the BCCI was recruiting overseas players for the IPL, it needed to reciprocate the gesture to enable other boards and leagues to prosper. “If an Australian player goes and plays in other leagues, what are those leagues doing to help development of the game in Australia given that they are taking one of their prized assets away? And I understand why that prized asset will go. I’m not criticising the IPL, but why won’t Indian players come and play in the Big Bash league? I’ve never had an open and honest answer: Why are some leagues accessing every player in the world? No Indian player plays in any other T20 league. I am not saying in a provocative sense, but is that a fair question? If there is a second IPL window, and I believe that’s the proposal, that it is going to start encroaching more on international cricket so Australian players, the English players… that’s going to damage even further the domestic tournament in those countries, but India still won’t help them build their market. It doesn’t seem like a two-way street,” he elaborated.
Currently, the BCCI doesn’t allow the current Indian players to play in overseas players to maintain the exclusivity of the IPL, which is the only T20 league in the world to feature current India players, but Gilchrist felt that it was time that the ICC step in here to help “keep the game alive in other cricketing nations.”
“I understand the philosophy of the value the IPL gets from exclusivity (of Indian players) but is that a balanced, even playing field for the health of the game globally? It’s going to make a lot of money for the IPL, the franchise owners and certain players. (But) Is it going to keep the game alive in other cricketing nations… and that is the question for the ICC. We are talking dollars, profit, aren’t we, as opposed to game development,” Gilchrist stressed.
‘Pant lights up a stage’
Meanwhile, it isn’t a surprise that Gilchrist, like most cricket fans around the world, loves to watch India’s star ‘keeper-bat Rishabh Pant bat. “He is one of the most exciting cricketers to watch. I think he just lights up a stage, and makes an electric atmosphere when he is playing. That is wonderful. The BCCI, the management and the selectors will just need to be patient with him. A few innings if he doesn’t score… they shouldn’t be too harsh on him. Because you don’t want to suppress his natural flair,” said the 50-year-old.
“It will be wonderful (If the Indian players are allowed to play in overseas T20 leagues). I personally feel that it won’t diminish or damage the IPL, it will only grow it. If they (the Indian players) can play in Australia or South Africa… but the challenge is that we are all playing our domestic season at the same time, so that is a hard thing, isn’t it? The power of the dollar has carved out a window for the IPL. I get that it will be nice if other nations were given some ability for their T20 competitions and their cricket to prosper. It’s a two-way street,” Gilchrist said at a New South Wales Government event on Friday.
“I really want to highlight six seasons (that I played in the IPL). I loved it, it was a great experience. It is the premier T20 competition in the world, but it is important to allow other boards and countries to prosper as well. It can’t be all about one country’s cricket, I think that is really important. I am not accusing them of it, but it is important,” Gilchrist, who scored 5,570 runs in 96 Tests and 9,619 runs in 287 ODIs, said.
Explaining his point of view, Gilchrist said, “I think the IPL has been a wonderful addition to the cricketing landscape, I played six (editions) of them and I loved it. I need to state that there needs to be a lot of thought put into private owners starting multiple teams in multiple tournaments and about what effect that will have on international cricket potentially. It might be a great thing, it might be a really bad thing, I don’t know the answers. You have to go with caution in understanding what contribution private ownership will have on reinvesting in the game.”
He felt that if the BCCI was recruiting overseas players for the IPL, it needed to reciprocate the gesture to enable other boards and leagues to prosper. “If an Australian player goes and plays in other leagues, what are those leagues doing to help development of the game in Australia given that they are taking one of their prized assets away? And I understand why that prized asset will go. I’m not criticising the IPL, but why won’t Indian players come and play in the Big Bash league? I’ve never had an open and honest answer: Why are some leagues accessing every player in the world? No Indian player plays in any other T20 league. I am not saying in a provocative sense, but is that a fair question? If there is a second IPL window, and I believe that’s the proposal, that it is going to start encroaching more on international cricket so Australian players, the English players… that’s going to damage even further the domestic tournament in those countries, but India still won’t help them build their market. It doesn’t seem like a two-way street,” he elaborated.
Currently, the BCCI doesn’t allow the current Indian players to play in overseas players to maintain the exclusivity of the IPL, which is the only T20 league in the world to feature current India players, but Gilchrist felt that it was time that the ICC step in here to help “keep the game alive in other cricketing nations.”
“I understand the philosophy of the value the IPL gets from exclusivity (of Indian players) but is that a balanced, even playing field for the health of the game globally? It’s going to make a lot of money for the IPL, the franchise owners and certain players. (But) Is it going to keep the game alive in other cricketing nations… and that is the question for the ICC. We are talking dollars, profit, aren’t we, as opposed to game development,” Gilchrist stressed.
‘Pant lights up a stage’
Meanwhile, it isn’t a surprise that Gilchrist, like most cricket fans around the world, loves to watch India’s star ‘keeper-bat Rishabh Pant bat. “He is one of the most exciting cricketers to watch. I think he just lights up a stage, and makes an electric atmosphere when he is playing. That is wonderful. The BCCI, the management and the selectors will just need to be patient with him. A few innings if he doesn’t score… they shouldn’t be too harsh on him. Because you don’t want to suppress his natural flair,” said the 50-year-old.
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