Sunil Gavaskar feels that players don’t try too hard when IPL is around the corner

With the frenzy of the IPL 2022 mega auction now behind, the focus has switched back to the T20I series between India and West Indies. The men in blue secured a narrow win against the visitors in the first T20I in Kolkata and the spotlight was on several superstars like Ishan Kishan, Deepak Chahar and Nicholas Pooran who had gone for large sums of money in the auction.

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that players don’t try too hard in international cricket when the Indian Premier League is around the corner. He also expressed that the IPL has the potential to change lives and careers. Players try to be fully fit in order to capitalize on the opportunity as it financially secures their careers.

“The auction is a life-changing one for all the players as it opens doors to a secure future for them and their families. That can also lead to some to not try as hard when playing for their country, especially when the IPL is round the corner, so to speak,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Times of India.

IPL 2022 is expected to kick off in the last week of March and is expected to run until the end of May. Unlike last season, BCCI is planning to host the entire event in the region of Mumbai which has three grounds. This is being considered in order to avoid travel, logistics issues and possible bio-bubble breaches which had proven to be a headache in IPL 2021. Besides the Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium have also hosted international matches before.

Gavaskar also wrote in his column that players who didn’t get a contract this time around also use that motivation to turn up with better performances in international cricket in order to convince the franchises.

“For those who were unlucky, it’s an opportunity to prove that it was a mistake not to pick them, and with more matches and teams in the IPL, there is always an opportunity to be a replacement player.”

“This is to ensure that there is no injury that will prevent them from being fit for the IPL and missing out on the security that an IPL contract guarantees. So the diving and sliding, or the hard throws from the deep, are not attempted for fear of doing some damage that will mean withdrawal from the IPL,” he added.