Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticised uncapped players who focus on the Indian Premier League (IPL) and neglect the demands of domestic cricket. He remarked that these players are lucky enough to earn huge sums, in “crores,” despite not having made a substantial impact on the senior India men’s team.
In IPL 2025, Naman Dhir (Mumbai Indians), Nehal Wadhera (PBKS), Rasikh Dar (RCB), Ashutosh Sharma (Delhi Capitals), Abdul Samad (LSG), Priyansh Arya (PBKS), Anshul Kamboj (Chennai Super Kings), and Abhinav Manohar (SunRisers Hyderabad) were among the uncapped players who earned big.
Gavaskar emphasised the importance of acknowledging and rewarding players who remain committed to domestic cricket, with the aspiration of securing a place in the Indian team.
“The argument that market forces are at play doesn’t hold much weight because, more often than not, it’s simply down to luck when some franchises decide to take a chance on young talent. If you examine the uncapped crorepatis in the IPL, you’ll notice that only a small number have made significant contributions to India’s success. It’s purely their good fortune that has earned them crores, which they don’t deserve,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
He also urged the BCCI and state associations to consider how to offer better incentives to Ranji Trophy players, motivating them to consistently represent their state teams.
“The BCCI has recently increased match fees, which is great, but introducing a fee structure where players who feature in more matches receive higher pay would encourage more players to play in the Ranji Trophy, rather than pretending to be injured just before the IPL begins to avoid missing out on it,” Gavaskar further wrote.
“Furthermore, if the BCCI could raise match fees for teams that progress to the knockout stages, it would be an excellent motivator for players to keep playing, rather than withdrawing because of injury concerns before the IPL. Money is not an issue for the BCCI or its affiliated units, so I hope these suggestions are taken into account before the new domestic season begins,” he concluded.