Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has called for a salary cap to be introduced for uncapped players ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction. The auction is slated to be held on February 12,13 with 590 players set to go under the hammer.
Out of these 390 Indian players will also feature in the mega auction including some players from the India U-19 team as well, fresh off winning the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022.
However, for the greater good of U-19 players, Gavaskar has suggested that IPL teams should tread carefully when it comes to the younger players because the difference in standards between U-19 cricket and IPL is huge.
In a blog for Mid-Day, Gavaskar wrote, “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.”
He continued, “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. 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 INR 1 crore for uncapped players so that they know that to go further and earn more they have a lot of hard work ahead.”
Gavaskar also implied that the youngsters will have to understand to keep working hard, while also citing that easy money has spoilt the careers of many youngsters.
“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.
India U-19 players remained unbeaten in their World Cup triumph and some of them will surely attract big-money moves to various IPL franchises.
