Easy Money Has Spoilt Many A Promising Talent - Sunil Gavaskar Calls For A Salary Cap For Young Players In IPL Auction

Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar has said that there needs to be a salary limit for the uncapped players in the IPL auction in order to keep them from getting spoilt by big money. He said that a cap of INR 1 crore might be enough to provide encouragement to young players, while also making them focus on cricket.

Gavaskar said that easy and big money has spoilt many young talents thanks to getting huge bids in the IPL auction in the past and a salary cap in the auction will keep the young ones grounded and ensure they don’t become overnight millionaires, which can have adverse impacts in the long run.

The former IPL commissioner’s comments come only two days before the 2022 mega auction, scheduled in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13, with as many as 355 of the total 590 players in line to go under the hammer being uncapped talents, including members of the recently-crowned Indian U19 World Cup team.

Far Too Many Get Carried Away With Easy Money: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar, who played 125 Tests and 108 ODIs for India from 1971-1987, said that success at age level cricket should in no way be a guarantee of repeating the same at the international level or even in IPL, due to the difference in the standard of cricket being played.

“The mega auction will happen over the weekend and some of our Under-19 boys could become crorepatis in a few blinks of the eye. Doing well at the under-19 level doesn’t guarantee success at the IPL or even international level as has been seen over the years. The difference in standards is huge,” Gavaskar wrote for Mid-day.

He then backed a salary cap for young players in the IPL auction in order to keep them focused on cricket instead of the fame and fortunes they attain with a huge money bid.

“Far too many get carried away and lose focus and are out of the game or seek the mirage of greener-looking pastures. The fair thing would be to put a limit of say Rs 1 crore for uncapped players so that they know that to go further and earn more they have a lot of hard work ahead.

“Easy money has spoilt many a promising talent and that’s something the administrators can prevent by ensuring that an uncapped player remains eager to keep performing year after year and not fall by the wayside as so many have done in the past,” he further added.

The IPL 2022 auction will take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.

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