Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar has criticized IPL franchises for favouring unproven young players over consistent performers from domestic cricket. Gavaskar stated that IPL franchises should give importance to the Syed Mushtaq T20 Trophy, calling it a far more competitive and reliable benchmark.
In recent years, multiple state-level franchise leagues have emerged, with some of their players earning spots in IPL teams. The 2025 season was notable for the rise of several uncapped talents. Punjab Kings (PBKS), who ended as runners-up, regularly fielded six to seven uncapped players in their playing XI.
Sunil Gavaskar urged IPL teams to rethink their talent-scouting approach. The former India captain said that the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is more competitive. He added that performances in high-standard domestic competitions should be considered during the auction.
“This year’s IPL proved once again that relying on the performances of the state T20 leagues is not the way to go into the auction," the 75-year-old wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
"It’s far better to go by the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy deeds as these games are a lot more competitive than those in the state T20 leagues. Also, don’t go overboard with what one sees in the Under-19 tournaments," he added.
So Many of the Youngsters Not Used to So Much Money - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar raised concerns about young cricketers losing motivation after getting lucrative IPL contracts early in their careers. He pointed out that some domestic leagues do little to prepare them for the competitive demands of the IPL.
"The level of competition there, is way below that in the IPL and so many of the youngsters not used to so much money lose the motivation and are quite content just to be around rather than perform,” Gavaskar stated.
“What is needed is to see when the batting and bowling performances came. What was the situation when the batters scored and the bowlers took the wickets for, at the end of the day, in the IPL it is going to be totally different. Here’s where temperament will come into play. The runs and the wickets have to come when it matters,” he added.
Some Will Justify Scoring 15 in Five Deliveries - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar also criticized the mindset of some young players who prioritize high strike rates over impactful contributions. Gavaskar highlighted that many aggressive hitters from state T20 leagues struggled in the IPL, unable to deliver match-winning performances.
“Some will justify scoring 15 in five deliveries as it’s a strike rate of 300 but maybe it was important for the side that they batted another 15 deliveries and got 40 and took the team to a win."
"Hitting a six off the first ball one faces and getting out the next ball does give a strike rate of 300 but how does that help the side? Many of the so-called six hitters in the state T20 leagues came a cropper in the IPL and were unable to take their teams to a win,” Gavaskar added.
Several young players, including Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Digvesh Rathi, Vipraj Nigam, and Ashwani Kumar, made a strong impression during the season. These emerging talents were consistently included in their teams' playing XIs and capitalized on the opportunities given to them.
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