Sunil Gavaskar calls for ‘substantial’ pay cut for overseas players for leaving IPL midway

Former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar has called for a substantial pay cut in the salaries of overseas players for cutting short their IPL campaign for national duties or whatever reasons. The cricketer-turned-broadcastersaid he’s all up for players choosing their countries over franchise-based tournaments; however, despite assuring their respective franchises of their availability for the whole season, pulling out last minute should come with a cost.

Gavaskar’s comments have come after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that 2024 T20 World Cup-bound players playing in IPL 2024 will miss the knockout matches to remain available for selection for the home T20I series against Pakistan. While IPL 2024 playoffs begin on May 21, the first of the four T20Is between England and Pakistan will get underway on May 22 in Leeds.

Considering only four teams will make the playoffs, the English players in all those potential ones, including Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals), Phil Salt (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Moeen Ali (Chennai Super Kings), among others, will miss the knockout matches, having performed and contributed to their team’s success till here.

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Writing for Mid-day, Gavaskar said overseas players should be penalised for breaching whole-season commitment to their respective teams.

“I am all for players choosing country before anything else, but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises which probably pay them more money in one IPL season, which they don’t earn in a few seasons with their country,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day.

“The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the playerwas boughtfor but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 per cent commission of the fee that each player gets,” the former India captain noted.

Everyone’s gearing up for T20 WorldCup

The showpiece event willtake placein the Caribbean and the USA starting June 1, with 20 teams participating. The format is such that five teamsare drawninto four groups each, with the top two teams from each group moving forward in the Super Eight stage.

While the Asian giants – India and Pakistan are placed in Group A, with their marquee match scheduled to take place in New York on June 9, defending champions England is placed in Group B alongside nemesis Australia.

Though three chosen venues in the USA will co-host the league stage matches with the Caribbean, the knockouts, including the semis and the final, will take place in the West Indies.