Sunil Gavaskar slams overseas players for taking IPL for granted

Former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar has opined that overseas players have taken IPL for granted, and such players should be released to send a stern message to the other players.

Overseas players are given several perks in the IPL. Leave out injuries or other issues, players are also handed sufficient space with their families during the time of the IPL. Despite all this, several players do not make it to the competition on time, and neither do they feature throughout the league.

The IPL is one of the most highly rated T20 leagues in the world, and for high-value players not playing all games, there are pro-rata fees for the number of appearances that satisfy players; however, the former great believes that the franchises are affected by such unprofessionalism.

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Sunil Gavaskar slams Overseas players for taking IPL for granted

Mitchell Starc, the Delhi Capitals pacer, was the third from the Australian pace trio whom Cricket Australia did not allow for the entire stretch of IPL 2026. On the other hand, Lockie Ferguson, the New Zealand pacer, also informed the Punjab Kings about his unavailability as he desires to spend sometime with his newborn child.

Former Indian legend feels that such overseas players who are missing matches despite not being injured are taking the IPL for granted.

“There is also the usual taking the franchise for granted issue with some overseas players, who are not going to be available for non-injury and personal reasons,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his Sportstar column.

Sunil Gavaskar claimed that at times the owners of the franchises pay for the families of the associated cricketers, so that they can spend time with their families. He named this as India's hospitality and not the player's right.

“The owners of the franchises go out of their way to accommodate their players often paying for families to come and spend time with the players at no cost to the millionaire players, mind you.

"It’s the Indian way and hospitality, which often is misunderstood as a right by some and who then try to take advantage of the situation,” remarked Gavaskar.

Sunil Gavaskar advises IPL franchises to take stringent measures against overseas players

He also suggested that the IPL franchise owners take strict action against these players and drop them from the squad. Harry Brook, the English skipper, faced an IPL ban after withdrawing from the tournament despite already being named in the DC teamsheet.

“We are already hearing about some players who will not be available for a variety of reasons, none of which were informed before they were selected by the franchise.

"Unless franchise owners start to get tough and drop these players, they will find themselves being hampered in their efforts to win the title. All the planning in forming the squad which they believe can help them win, goes out of the window when players decide to come whenever they want,” remarked Sunil Gavaskar.

Ravichandran Ashwin demands financial cuts against the KKR star

Supporting Gavaskar's claims, former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had pointed out that players like Cameron Green, who have been bought for such a whopping amount, should bowl their full quota of overs. If not, the teams should have the authority to deduct money from their payouts.

"IPL teams also should have an opportunity where if he bowls only two overs, then they should deduct 2 crores,” Ashwin had said on his YouTube channel.

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