Should the IPL allow five overseas players in the XI from IPL 2022?
The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will most likely be a 10-team affair. And, with the IPL expanding further and becoming bigger, so to say, the important question that should be asked is, should 5 overseas players be allowed to feature in the playing XI in an IPL side from the 2022 edition onwards?
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels so. Chopra has reasoned that quality should be of paramount importance in the IPL, and the cricket played on the field is the main reason for the whopping success of the tournament.
“IPL should allow five overseas players in the playing eleven come next season when you have as many as ten teams. The reason for me saying that is that quality has to be paramount. IPL has succeeded, it has been the best T20 league in the world for a variety of reasons. One key element is the quality of cricket that is played on the park,” said Chopra.
Even Sanjay Manjrekar has opined in the affirmative. Manjrekar has stated that in spite of allowing 5 foreign players in the playing XI, there will still be more Indian players than foreign players in any IPL side.
“If IPL is going with 10 teams then you got to have five foreign players per side. You already have plenty of Indian players and it is a shame to see some quality foreign players sitting out only because they can’t play more than four. So even if we go five foreign players, plenty of Indian players will get the opportunity,” said Manjrekar.
Both these former Indian cricketers definitely have a point. It is the quality of cricket that is played in the IPL that has made it the biggest cricketing league in the world. The very best players from the world take part in the IPL, and many foreign players are even ready to sacrifice their national duties to feature in the Indian T20 league.
In the current scheme of things, four foreign players are allowed. And, this has meant that many talented foreigners have hardly had a look in. Chris Lynn is an explosive batsman, but since the Mumbai Indians have such a strong contingent of foreign recruits, Lynn warmed the benches for most of IPL 2021. The same is the case with Imran Tahir. Despite being an asset with the ball even today in T20 cricket and having an undying passion for the game, Tahir did not get many chances to showcase his skills.
The IPL is going to expand in 2022, and 2 new teams will enter the fray. And surely, more Indian players will get opportunities, and there is no doubting that. But then, even the foreign players should get a fair chance, isn’t it? And, allowing 5 overseas players in the playing XI is a move in the right direction.
