Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has strongly urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to implement severe penalties against overseas players who manufacture fake injuries to leave the Indian Premier League (IPL) early.
Writing in his regular column, the former India captain expressed deep frustration over a growing trend where international players pull out of the tournament midway through the season, particularly after finding themselves excluded from their franchise's primary playing XI.
Sunil Gavaskar’s sharp critique follows recent player availability controversies during the conclusion of IPL season. Following Rajasthan Royals' elimination in Qualifier 2, head coach Kumar Sangakkara publicly voiced the franchise's deep disappointment regarding all-rounder Sam Curran.
Curran had prematurely withdrawn from his IPL commitments citing an injury, yet was spotted playing shortly after in England's domestic Vitality T20 Blast while the IPL knockout stages were still actively underway.
While praising the BCCI’s current policy - which enforces a two-year ban on players who withdraw at the last minute after being bought in the auction - Gavaskar insisted that the board must go a step further. He argued that players who use fake medical reasons to head home should face identical bans.
“The BCCI’s ban for two years on those who enter the auction and, after being picked, then withdraw at the last moment, not for injury but brownie points with their local media, is another good move. They should also ban those who come to the IPL and, when they find they aren’t being picked regularly, feign an injury and return home and then play in their domestic cricket even while the IPL is still going on." - Sunil Gavaskar, via Sportstar.
“Plenty of overseas players take the IPL for granted and sometimes, in connivance with their boards, make some excuse and not play in the full tournament as they agreed before they entered the auction. The franchise cannot go running around for a replacement at this late hour, and so has no option but to wait for the Board to release the player," he added.
“Remember, the boards get 10% of the player fee, not from the player. This is an additional cost to the franchise, and that is why it is important for BCCI to be firm and ensure this does not happen. Cutting the player’s fee according to the number of matches he is missing should also apply to the percentage that the overseas Boards get for their player."
Gavaskar concluded with a strong message.
“The cricketing world has been ruled by the old powers without giving anything to the other Boards. Here, BCCI is giving to the Boards too, and so should be telling them not to take the helplessness of the franchise as a weakness and to cancel the contracts of those who don’t want to play the full tournament. No compromises. This is the IPL, not just the best T20 tournament in the world, but also the making of millionaires out of some really ordinary overseas players," the former India captain wrote further.
