IPL 2021: The quota of foreign players could be increased | Courtesy: @ SGanguly99 | Photo credit: Twitter
Key points
- The 2021 IPL season could feature 10 teams instead of 8
- The BCCI is ready to launch the tender for the two new teams after Diwali
- A BCCI official also proposed increasing the limit of foreign players per team from 4 to 5
The Indian Cricket Control Board (BCCI) is expected to bid for two more teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after Diwali, but the franchises are already raising quite a few questions. With the upcoming player auction also reported as ‘mega’ this time around, franchise heads were concerned about the quality of the squads if the structure is changed from 8 to 10 teams.
Some of the teams have already struggled to maintain quality roster with Indian players at their disposal due to the restriction on the participation of foreign players. While each squad can have 8 foreign players on the roster, only 4 can be named in the game XI.
If the league is expanded from 8 to 10, many fear that the Indian player pool will be deprived of quality, which will create problems in terms of the quality of the team’s players.
“Teams are already struggling to guarantee quality. If you look at most IPL teams, seven to nine players form the core, while two to three players per team are rotated to find the right balance. Now , if eight franchises are increased to 10, that quality is further diluted. The core of IPL, the very essence of having a salary pocket each year, is ensuring that the overall quality of the eight franchises remains somewhere at the same level. regardless of the spending capacity of an individual franchise If two additional teams draw from the same pool of cricketers at auction, can quality be guaranteed? Existing franchises requested according to the Times of India.
As a solution to the relevant problem, a senior BCCI official has suggested that the number of foreign players per XI playing in a franchise be increased from 4 to 5. Such a move will solve the problem of quality being greatly diluted.
“There are quality foreign players who are warming up the bench every season due to the restriction. An additional foreign player will compensate for that need.” the official is said to have suggested.
With IPL traditionally a league where national talent gets exposure and takes on top cricketers, it will be difficult for the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council to approve such a proposal.
