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Former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq said that cricket boards should stop sending their players to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) if the BCCI doesn’t allow their players to play in other leagues. For the unversed, Indian cricketers are not allowed to participate in various cricket leagues around the globe.
The women cricketers have been allowed to play in other leagues, with the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur, among others playing in Big Bash League, however, the male players are barred from featuring in other leagues to maintain the exclusivity of the IPL.
“Keep the Champions Trophy aside, look at the IPL where all the top players from around the world take part. However, Indian players don’t go to play in other leagues. Hence, all the boards should stop sending their players to the IPL. If you don’t release your players for any league, then shouldn’t other boards take a stance?” Inzamam said on a local news channel in Pakistan.
While the contracted players are not allowed to play other leagues, cricketers who have announced retirement can play the T20 tournaments around the globe. Dinesh Karthik, who announced his retirement from IPL, played for Paarl Royals in the SA20 league.
The likes of Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan have also taken part in tournaments like GT20 Canada and Lanka Premier League, but only after retiring from Indian cricket. The Indian Premier League is all set to commence on March 22, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The clash of Pakistan Super League with IPL
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) will clash with the IPL as it is set to run between April 11 to May 18. This is the first time that a major T20 tournament is directly clashing with the IPL.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India organized by the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI). Founded by the BCCI in 2007, the league features ten state or city-based franchise teams. It is the most popular and richest cricket league in the world and is held between March and May. It has an exclusive window in the ICC Future Tours Program, resulting in fewer international cricket tours occurring during the IPL seasons. It is also India’s most viewed sports competition followed by the Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League, as per BARC.
In 2014, it ranked sixth in attendance among all sports leagues. In 2010, the IPL became the first sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube. Inspired by the success of the IPL, other Indian sports leagues have been established. In 2022, the league’s brand value was estimated at ₹90,038 crore (US$11 billion). According to the BCCI, the 2015 IPL season contributed ₹1,150 crore (US$140 million) to India’s GDP.
In December 2022, the IPL achieved a valuation of US$10.9 billion, becoming a decacorn and registering a 75% growth in dollar terms since 2020 when it was valued at $6.2 billion, according to a report by the consulting firm D and P Advisory. Its 2023 final became the most streamed live event on the internet, with 32 million viewers.
In fact, there are three formats of cricket played at the international level – Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The aim of all these competitions, under one or the other banner, is to popularize and bring forth the best of cricket in the world for its admirers and propagators.
However, in 2008, inspired by Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) launched a cricket league, the Indian Premier League (IPL) which is now the most popular cricket league in the world.
The primary concern for the BCCI is player workload management. With the Indian cricket calendar already packed with international tours, domestic competitions like the IPL (Indian Premier League), and other commitments, there is a fear that participation in overseas leagues might lead to player’s weakness.
Cricket more than just a sport in India
It is a passion, a culture, and a source of immense pride for millions of people. The Indian cricket team is one of the most successful and popular teams globally, consistently dominating world cricket. However, when it comes to participating in various international cricket leagues, particularly in T20 leagues outside of India, Indian cricketers are noticeably absent.
While players from countries like Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies frequently feature in leagues such as the Big Bash League (BBL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Vitality Blast, Indian cricketers have yet to make a significant mark in these tournaments. This absence has sparked debates and raised questions regarding the broader implications for the Indian cricket team.
Is this lack of participation in global leagues a strategic decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), or does it have unintended consequences for the future of Indian cricket?
BCCI’s strict policies
The primary reason Indian cricketers do not play in foreign cricket leagues is the strict policies enforced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI, one of the most powerful cricket boards in the world, has always maintained a cautious stance regarding its players’ involvement in overseas leagues.
On the other hand, following the success of DP World ILT20 Season 3 which concluded on 9th February with Dubai Capitals crowned the new champions, league CEO David White expressed delight over the quality of matches, edge-of-the-seat thrillers to the showdown. The grand finale, with a packed stadium, was a testimony to world-class competition as Dubai Capitals chased down the target of 190 runs set by Desert Vipers with just four balls to spare, leaving fans enthralled till the very end.
What summarizes the success of the season is the excitement, world class players, and some of the matches going down to the wire. No doubt, this season has been a big step up in the quality of cricket, the scores have reflected that.
For the first time in DP World ILT20, over 400 (430) sixes were scored and a total of 10,352 runs amassed by the batters, underscoring the high-octane matches in the star-studded league.
More than 10,000 runs were scored this season, and some standout individual performances were also seen. The quality of cricket is also largely due to the quality of the pitches at three tournament venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
In addition, it was also emphasized on the teams developing their own innate personality and team ethos. The teams, after three seasons, are developing their own culture, personality and it is really coming through. What is extremely pleasing about is the competitiveness on the field, players are passionate and are really into it.
The season witnessed individual brilliance with in-form Shai Hope of Dubai Capitals winning the Green Belt for best batter, MI Emirates Fazalhaq Farooqi claiming the White Belt for best bowler and Sam Curran taking home the Red Belt as MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the season.
Among some of the standout moments this season was home-grown prodigy Aayan Afzal Khan of Gulf Giants picking up four for 16 runs against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders – making it the best figures for a UAE player in the DP World ILT20. The previous record was held by Zuhaib Zuhair with 4 for 22 for Gulf Giants against Sharjah Warriors in the previous season.
UAE’s Farhan Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid Khan and the experienced Muhammad Waseem too hogged the limelight this season with impressive performances that promises to aide their career with the national squad.
Elaborating on the impact DP World ILT20 has on developing cricket in UAE, it is said that, “DP World ILT20 plays a number of roles, from a community standpoint. Using the ILT20 brand to connect with the communities has been very good this season.
From a high-performance point of view, “DP World ILT20 is a critical contributor in the performance program for the UAE players. After season 2, the UAE national team definitely improved, they qualified for the Asia Cup for the first time in eight years.
In the third season, the young bowlers have particularly been impressive and for them to be able to out-perform on the international stage and learn from great coaches and players is only got to be good for UAE national side.
The CEO of DP World ILT20, which is the second most-watched cricket league in the world, exuded optimism for upcoming editions and went on to add that increasing the number of UAE players and Associate Member Nations players is realistic. He holds, “We are past the start-up stage and I’m very positive of the future. We are starting to see young children back their favorite teams and there is stable following. We are very conscious of connecting with community and this year our social media numbers are phenomenal, and in association with Zee, the broadcast numbers are looking very good too.”
Over time, the natural progression of this league is to expand into the Greater Gulf region. We have got so many Gulf nations with cricket fans, and at some stage the expansion could happen. And there is a very strong chance, in the near future for more than two UAE players and Associate Member nations players to be in the squad.”
On having Indian representation in the league for the following editions, he said, “Everyone knows the rules with BCCI and everyone respects it. If a retired Indian player is granted release from BCCI and if they are still competitive internationally then of course we would like for them to play in the league”.
Educationist/Administrator/Editor/Author/Speaker
Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
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