Former Australian cricketer feels IPL is affecting Indian youngsters

The inception of the Indian Premier League brought about a significant change in the Indian cricketing ecosystem. A huge influx of cash that followed because of the league resulted in the country witnessing more number of cricketers receiving higher paychecks than ever before. However, former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg feels it is having a negative impact on the upcoming players.

Hogg, who himself was a part of the Indian Premier League in multiple editions with Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, believes that young cricketers are not focused more playing T20 cricket in the IPL than preparing themselves for the tougher formats of the game, like Test and ODI cricket.

“I think it is (IPL affecting Indian cricket) because the young players that are coming through the system are more focused on playing T20 IPL cricket because there is probably a little more cash in it, it’s a short form, it’s quick and you get the game done and dusted,” Hogg said.

Hogg believes that younger cricketers who are debuting for India now and in the coming years, will be most affected by this. He feels that the bowlers and batters aren’t setting themselves up for patient setups that lead to bigger things.

“They don’t know how bowlers set up batters to take wickets and how batters build their innings to bat for long periods of time. It’s not so much the generations that are playing international cricket right now like the Virat Kohli’s and Rohit Sharma’s. It’s younger players that are just debuting for India that are most affected,” Hogg added.

The IPL expanded its horizons further in 2022, introducing two new teams to the fray. The Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans joined the roster and both these sides, as it turned out, reached the playoffs in their first appearance. Titans went on to win the title by defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final.

For the 2023 edition, the mini auction will take place in Kochi. A total of 405 cricketers from across the globe are set to go under the hammer in Kochi at the upcoming IPL auction on December 23. Initially, a total of 369 players were shortlisted by 10 teams from a list of 991.