Foreign players number allowed at IPL
The advent of IPL has changed the way we look at T20 cricket in the Indian subcontinent. It is so popular that many countries have taken inspiration from it and launched premier leagues in their country too. The IPL is one of the highlights of the Indian cricketing seasons.
Every cricket fan eagerly waits for the IPL held each year. The tournament boasts huge viewership numbers from all over the globe.
IPL includes domestic and international cricketers in its auction list every year and a lucky few get to go head to head with teams. Stadiums are usually filled to the brim with IPL fans fiercely supporting their favorite teams.
Every IPL season starts with the player auction. The IPL is supposed to be focused on Indian players, the BCCI, India’s apex body for cricket, allows international cricketers to take part in the league. Reportedly, 1214 players have registered for IPL 2022.
This number includes 896 Indian players and 318 international ones. Further, out of the 318 overseas players, 209 capped, 68 uncapped and 41 associate players are participating in the auction held for 10 IPL teams in 2022.
Having overseas players in the tournament gives the IPL an edge and adds to the excitement. Some of the top international cricketers participate in the IPL. Their performance adds to the excitement of IPL and keeps fans at the edge of their seats.
Although the BCCI allows overseas players to participate in the auction, only a few of them can actually take part in the tournament. This raises the question of ‘how many overseas players are allowed in the IPL’. Till 2021, the IPL teams consisted of 7 Indian players and 4 overseas players.
In 2022, the number of teams that are going to go head to head has been raised from 8 to 10. This has sparked a discussion on whether there should be more overseas players in teams.
Cricket analyst Sanjay Manjrekar has put forth his opinion of having 5 overseas players in each team, instead of having just 4. He says that the league has missed out on some stellar performances from international players due to the ‘4 overseas players per team’ rule to date.
In the 13th edition of IPL, overseas players like Martin Guptill, Aaron Finch, etc didn’t get a chance to play in any of the teams. Had some of the top international players gotten a chance to play, they might have been useful in strengthening a team’s position in the league.
Sanjay Manjrekar says that even if 5 overseas players were to be added, it would not hamper the representation of Indian players in the Indian Premier League. In total 60 Indian players would’ve been part of the playing XI, a number much higher than international players.
Apart from that, teams tend to have more players than just the playing XI, so Indian players would’ve gotten a chance to play anyway. But, having fewer overseas players can make for a lackluster season and possibly leave a team in the dumps.