Former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Sunil Gavaskar has batted for a salary cap for the uncapped players in the IPL auction in order to keep them grounded and make them focus on cricket alone.
His statement comes ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction will see 590 players go under the hammer in the two-day long event. The IPL 2022 will be a ten-team event with the addition of two new franchises; Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.
370 players from India have made the final list for the mega auction that also includes the members of the U19 World Cup-winning Indian team featuring captain Yash Dhull and others.
“The mega auction will happen over the weekend and some of our Under-19 boys could become crorepatis in a few blinks of the eye. Doing well at the under-19 level doesn’t guarantee success at the IPL or even international level as has been seen over the years. The difference in standards is huge,” Gavaskar wrote on the salary cap in Mid-day.
Gavaskar has also suggested the IPL put a ₹1 crore limit on the U19 players so they don't “get carried away.”
“Far too many get carried away and lose focus and are out of the game or seek the mirage of greener-looking pastures. The fair thing would be to put a limit of say R1 crore for uncapped players so that they know that to go further and earn more they have a lot of hard work ahead.
Easy money has spoilt many a promising talent and that’s something the administrators can prevent by ensuring that an uncapped player remains eager to keep performing year after year and not fall by the wayside as so many have done in the past," wrote Gavaskar.
The IPL 2022 mega auction will happen on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.
