Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called on the BCCI to take strong action against overseas players who fake injuries to withdraw from tournaments after not getting enough game time. He observed that some players tend to disregard the IPL and go back to their home countries in the middle of the season for domestic competitions.
Gavaskar pointed out that this behavior is unfair to the franchises, as it’s challenging to find suitable replacements late in the tournament. He noted that teams spend substantial resources to build their squads and should not be negatively impacted by the sudden exit of overseas players.
“The BCCI’s two-year ban for players who enter the auction and then withdraw last minute—not due to injury but for local media attention—is a positive step. They should also ban those who, unhappy with their playing time, pretend to be injured and leave to play domestic Cricket while the IPL is ongoing,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Many overseas players take the IPL lightly and may conspire with their boards to skip the full tournament, despite their earlier commitments. The franchise can’t quickly find a replacement at such a late stage, leaving them with no choice but to wait for the Board to release the player,” he added.
The former Indian captain also mentioned that foreign cricket boards earn a 10% commission on their players’ IPL income once they are auctioned. He recommended that player payments be strictly based on the number of matches they are available for during the tournament. Gavaskar criticized some overseas cricketers, stating that the IPL has made many average players wealthy.
“Keep in mind, the boards receive 10% of the player fees, not directly from the players. This adds extra costs for the franchise, making it essential for the BCCI to maintain strict measures. Adjusting player fees based on missing matches should also apply to the percentage the overseas boards receive,” Gavaskar wrote.
“The cricketing landscape has been dominated by traditional powers without offering benefits to other boards. The BCCI is providing support, and they should not allow overseas boards to exploit the situation of franchises. Contracts should be canceled for players unwilling to complete the tournament. No compromises. This is the IPL—not only the top T20 tournament in the world but also an opportunity for average overseas players to become millionaires,” he concluded.