Pros and Cons of Indian Players in Foreign T20 Leagues

When the ECB started T20 cricket in 2003, even they wouldn’t have imagined for it to become such a huge phenomenon as it is today. The novelty of the format was soon recognised by the apex cricket body and the first T20 international was held between England and New Zealand women’s teams on 5^th August 2004. The seeds were sown for the T20 extravaganza to take over the world after the first 20-20 world cup in 2007 which further led to several countries coming up with their own T20 leagues.

The Indian T20 league stands out as the world’s most valuable and entertaining league, featuring the top players from all across the globe which is one of the major secrets of its success. Seeing many cricketers playing in the T20 leagues of other countries, fans often wonder what it would’ve been like to see their Indian stars playing league cricket in several other countries as well. If there were a possibility of Indian players playing in foreign leagues let’s take a look at its several pros and cons:

PROS

1. Revenue- If the Indian cricket board allows its players to play the foreign T20 leagues, it will bring more revenue for those particular tournaments as it will attract a large no of audiences from India as well who would be eager to see their favourite stars in action.

2. Acclimatising to foreign conditions – The exposure of players playing in foreign conditions will help them perform better in a crunch situation of a major tournament there.

3. More opportunities for young cricketers- The fierce competition in the Indian T20 league doesn’t give all the players an opportunity to be in the playing XI. These players can get good opportunities in these foreign leagues and improve their game.

4. Cricket quality will improve – It will improve the quality of cricket in those leagues as it will have the top Indian players bringing their impeccable cricketing skills to the fore.

5. More recognition of the sport worldwide- The Indian T20 league has already become the second most valuable sporting league in the world in terms of media rights. If more such leagues mushroom in the cricketing fraternity the popularity of cricket will skyrocket bringing in more sponsors for the game.

CONS

1. More Injury Prone – Since players will be playing at a time when they should be resting, the lack of rest will make them more injury prone which can further prove to be detrimental to their career.
2. Burnout – Players might feel burnt out due to playing excessive cricket throughout the calendar year which in turn will hamper their performance
3. Exposing players’ weaknesses – Playing in such leagues will expose the players’ weaknesses in front of the world which can be used against them during important world competitions.
4. It will take away the USP of the Indian T20 League – The USP of the Indian T20 league is that it puts the top Indian talent up against the world’s best cricketers. If the audience gets to see the same in other leagues, the Indian T20 league might lose its value in the eyes of the public.
5. International cricket will get hampered – With the players playing in one T20 league after another, the international cricket calendar will suffer majorly as the players will be too tired to play Test cricket.

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