"Mentally you are not willing to let go of that much money" - Praveen Kumar speaks on Iyer-Kishan controversy

Former India fast-bowler Praveen Kumar has given a valuable piece of advice to Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. Both the batsmen recently lost their central contracts as the BCCI came down hard on them for ignoring their directive to play Ranji games.

Kishan has not played for Team India since November last year while Iyer’s last appearance came in the Vishakhapatnam Test last month. Last month, the BCCI issued a directive to the players, making it mandatory for them to play domestic cricket when they are not a part of the Indian team. However, Iyer and Kishan ignored the directive and it did not go down well with the board.

Praveen Kumar’s advice for Kishan and Iyer:

The entire episode has once again triggered the country vs club debate. Many believe that youngsters are more interested in playing for their IPL teams instead of playing for their state team or even the national team. Speaking to the Times of India, Praveen Kumar said that while there is nothing wrong with earning money, players should not do it by undermining domestic cricket or international cricket.

“I have been saying this for long. Paisa kamao, kaun mana kar rha hai? Paisa kamane chahiye lekin aise bhi nahi hona chahiye ki aap domestic nahi khel rahe, country ko importance nahi de rahe. (Earn money, who is stopping you? But it shouldn’t be like you are not playing for the country or domestic cricket).

“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chhorun (I will rest for a month before the IPL and then play. This happens because mentally you are not willing to let go of that much money). But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said Praveen Kumar.

Meanwhile, both Iyer and Kishan will be seen in action in high-profile cricket later this month when IPL 2024 begins. While Kishan will be playing for Mumbai Indians, Iyer will be leading Kolkata Knight Riders. IPL 2024 is scheduled to be played from March 22. Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings will be taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament opener.