IPL Is the Biggest Cricket Tournament In The World: Wasim Akram

IPL has impinged itself as the best franchise-based tournament in the game, a tournament where talent marries opportunity, a tournament that parachutes fledgling cricketers to the peak of stardom, a tournament that besides all its financial perks is a perfect platform where cricketers get to test themselves against the best in the world and harden themselves by playing in intense situations game-after-game.

Post the success of the IPL, almost every other cricket board have formed their own franchise-based tournaments like CPL, BBL, and PSL. Pakistan Super League has established its own identity since its inception, so-much-so that there is often a debate in Pakistan where the PSL is compared with the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Wasim Akram, who has worked in both IPL and PSL, recently delved on the debate where he rated the cash-rich league as the biggest cricket tournament in the world.

“There is a difference now (between IPL and PSL). In the last five-six years, there has been a big difference. They have put in a lot of money. IPL is the biggest cricket tournament in the world,” Wasim Akram told Tanveer Ahmed on his YouTube channel.

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“Most players in the IPL have their coaches in the form of retired Indian cricketers”- Wasim Akram

While comparing the amount of money involved in both leagues, Akram also lauded the BCCI for investing the revenue generated through the cash-rich league in domestic cricket.

“A team’s budget only is around 60-80 Cr to buy players…Indian currency…double in our currency. So when profit is made on that kind of money BCCI invests it back into first-class cricket,” he added.

Akram also reckoned that the major reason behind young Indian cricketers not getting overawed by pressure is that they have the services of retired Indian cricketers as coaches during their developmental years.

“Most players in the IPL have their personal coaches, like Praveen Amre. They have hired such kind of former cricketers who have gone on to become good coaches. You look at their batsmen, they play with such high confidence. The system is completely different,” said the Pakistan legend.

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