Indian cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar slammed IPL franchises for their strategy of investing heavily in players shining in state-level leagues. Gavaskar’s concerns came after several names including the likes of Sameer Rizvi and Shahrukh Khan, some of the finest names at state level couldn’t do much when given a chance at a big stage like IPL. The legendary batter has opined that spending hefty sums of money on players who shine in state leagues is a sheer waste of money.
Not only this, but Gavaskar also argued that the standard of cricket in junior leagues or state leagues is drastically different from domestic tournaments including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and IPL or international tournaments. In his daily column for Mid Day, the former Indian batter wrote, “We have already seen how most under-19 players struggle to get their footing at the first-class level as the standard of the opposition is way higher than in the junior tournaments.”
He added, “Similarly, those who shine in the State T20 leagues don’t necessarily replicate their performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or the IPL as the standards are much higher there. The franchises are finding out that forking crores for players shining in the State Premier leagues is not a great idea and a sheer waste of money.”
Writing about the Indian domestic season which begins with the Duleep Trophy 2024, Gavaskar added, “The Indian cricket season begins with the Duleep Trophy starting in a couple of weeks’ time and it’s good to see that this time around all the internationals will be taking part in it. That is the one sure way the selectors will be able to see if the bowlers and batters are good enough to take the next step to the international level.”