R Ashwin: 'I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage'

R Ashwin, part of the Rajasthan Royals now in the Indian Premier League (IPL), spoke about the growth of the tournament and how its growth has even caught the players off guard. IPL is quite easily the biggest T20 franchise league in the world. Its continuous rise and success has led to other sports, such as kabaddi, football, badminton, volley, embracing the formula.

When Ashwin entered the league, he said his only aim was to learn from international cricketers who were his teammates at various teams.

“No one envisaged the kind of growth that the IPL has had. I still remember a conversation I had with Scott Styris when we were both at CSK. He told me that when he was playing for the Deccan Chargers in the initial seasons of IPL, he did not think the IPL would last for more than two-three years. Initially, there was a big influx of money,” Ashwin said on the Club Prairie Fire podcast hosted by Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist.

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The spinner said with the league becoming such a money spinner, the players have to do more than just play cricket.

“As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that, having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge. Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It’s so huge. We do end up practising in advertisement shoots and sets! That’s where the IPL has gotten to,” said Ashwin, who plays for the Royals in the IPL.

When Gilchrist asked Ashwin if there was a recent trend that he had noticed in the IPL, the spinner said: “Look over the years you’d think that the IPL is one tournament that is largely won at the auctions. I believe the auctions are a very important facet of this league, but the beauty of the IPL is that franchises have evolved into getting their teams right. There’s no one way to skin a cat. No one player is bigger than the team. No one slot is bigger than others. The teams invest wisely.”

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