 "Sunil Gavaskar also told the perpetrators to follow the path of peace. Image: PTI")
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has shared his strong opinions about how some uncapped players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are getting crores of rupees without proving themselves at the international stage. In his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar said that it is not always talent that helps these players earn big IPL contracts, adding that it’s mostly just luck.
Gavaskar slams uncapped IPL crorepatis
Sunil Gavaskar did not mention any player by name but some of the young, uncapped crorepatis in IPL 2025 were Priyansh Arya (PBKS), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (RR), Nehal Wadhera (PBKS), Rasikh Dar (RCB), Naman Dhir (MI), Abdul Samad (LSG), Ashutosh Sharma (DC), Anshul Kamboj (CSK), Abhinav Manohar (SRH), Mahipal Lomror (GT), Arshad Khan (GT), Gurnoor Singh Brar (GT), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (KKR), Vaibhav Arora (KKR), Vijaykumar Vyshak (PBKS), Yash Thakur (PBKS), Harpreet Brar (PBKS), Shivam Dubey (RR).
“The argument that it is market forces is not really valid, for more often than not, it is sheer good fortune as some franchises want to take a punt with young talent. Have a look at the uncapped crorepatis throughout the IPL, and you will find that very few have gone on to do big things for India. It’s their good luck that has made them the crores that they actually don’t deserve,” Gavaskar wrote.
Gavaskar also talked about how some domestic players avoid playing Ranji Trophy matches before the IPL, just to avoid getting injured. According to Gavaskar, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must work to fix this issue by introducing a better payment system.
“The BCCI has increased match fees, which is good. But if they add a slab system where players who play more matches earn more, it will encourage them to play more Ranji games instead of skipping them,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar also suggested that the BCCI should introduce better incentives for teams that make the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy. According to Gavaskar, it will motivate players to play the crucial matches before the IPL.
“If BCCI increases match fees for teams that reach the knockout stages, that will be another great incentive. Players won’t withdraw from the tournament fearing injury before the IPL. Money is not a problem for BCCI or its units, so I hope these ideas are considered before the next domestic season,” he added.