IPL 2018: Heath Mills feels mega-auction has humiliated players

Irked chief executive of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) Heath Mills on Tuesday has severely criticized the auction-based system of the widely successful professional Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I think the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for the players,” Mills told New Zealand Herald.

Moreover, Mills takes a dig at the recently-concluded auction while referring the players are exhibited as cattle during the auction while remarking it is the utter humiliation for the professional cricketers.

“(the players) are paraded like cattle for all the world to see,” Mills maintained.

According to the Herald newspaper, the reports suggested the cash-rich league should opt for an alternative after the system was targeted for being outdated and embarrassing in particular for players.

“It’s almost got to the point where there’s more interest in the auction than the games and I think they’ll keep doing it even though the general player view it is that there’s better ways to do it,” Mills asserted.

Interestingly, it’s the first time when a country like New Zealand has disagreed with the auction.

“Some players do exceptionally well out of it but the vast majority would like to see the system changed. They would like to negotiate with coaches and owners behind closed doors,” Mills reiterated.

Disparaging the system, the association chief Mills remarked this should not happen while daring to give his backing to the comment from Peter Clinton, the former chief executive of the Cricket Wellington.

“The IPL Auction is such an undignified, cruel and unnecessary employment practice. Ridiculous that it exists today, belongs in the medieval ages,” Clinton posted on his Twitter handle.

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The cash-driven league IPL has witnessed around 169 buys which eventually included as many as 56 overseas players.

As cricket is said to be the game of glorious uncertainties, Mills believes the players are not aware of what is going to happen next moment which according to him is further an ominous sign.

“The players enter the auction not knowing where they are going, who their team-mates are going be, who’s managing them, who the owners are — no other sports league in the world engages players on that basis,” Mills further said.

However, Mills has further come in support of one of the major leagues while observing it has been fascinating for the gentleman’s game in itself while adding is more to be proven to make it more enticing league in the world of sport

“There’s a lot of good things about the Indian Premier League and it’s been great for cricket but I’d like to see it mirror the rest of professional sport in the way they engage athletes,” Mills concluded.

The New Zealanders were livid after as many as 24 names were in included in the auction list for the eleventh edition which subsequently seven players were sold.

The two-day auction kicked-off on January 27 in Bengaluru which went on to spring plenty of surprises after being hosted by the famous British-based auctioneer Richard Madley.

Follow IPL news here: Indian Premier League, 2018