Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian opener who led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL championships in 2012 and 2014, believes the tournament’s inception was the best thing that could have occurred to Indian cricket in recent years.
“IPL is the best thing that has happened to Indian cricket. I can say this with all my senses. There has been a lot of backlash regarding IPL since it started. Every time Indian cricket does not do well, the blame comes on IPL, which is not fair. If we don’t perform well in ICC tournaments, blame the players, blame the performance, but it is unfair to point fingers at the IPL,” Gambhir said on the sidelines of the TURF2022 & India Sports Awards of FICCI on Saturday.
Gambhir, who played for India in 58 Tests, 147 ODIs, 37 T20Is, and 154 IPL games, shed light on how players now have financial stability as a result of the IPL.”A sportsman can only earn till he is 35-36. IPL provides with financial security which is equally important.”
Gambhir lauds BCCI for hiring Indian coaches to manage national team
The former left-handed batter, who serves as the international mentor of the IPL’s Lucknow and SA20’s Durban Super Giants franchises, lauded the BCCI for hiring Indian coaches to manage the national team over the previous few years and wants to see more Indian coaches working in the IPL.
“One good thing that has happened in Indian cricket is that Indians have started coaching the Indian national cricket team now. I strongly believe (an) Indian should coach the Indian team. All these foreign coaches, who we gave a lot of importance to, come here to make money and then they vanish. Emotions are important in sports. The only people who can be emotional about Indian cricket are the ones who have represented their country.”
“I am a mentor of Lucknow Super Giants. One thing I want to change is that I want to see all Indian coaches in IPL. Because no Indian coach gets an opportunity in Big Bash or any other foreign league. India is a superpower in cricket, but our coaches do not get the opportunity anywhere. All the foreigners come here and get the top jobs. We are more democratic and flexible than other leagues. We need to give our people more opportunity.”
Cricket pundits criticised IPL after India’s defeat in T20 World Cup 2022
Earlier, shortly after the Men in Blue were eliminated from the T20 World Cup, there was fierce criticism of Indian players for choosing IPL over specific international matches. Legends like Wasim Akram brought highlighted the fact that India hasn’t won a T20 World Cup since the IPL began, while others, most notably Sunil Gavaskar, criticised players for skipping international series in favour of the IPL.
