Former India great demands action against cricketers for leaving IPL early

Former India great Sunil Gavaskar has hit out at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for asking their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 bound players to return home early. The legendry cricketer has demanded action against the cricketers and the boards.

“For me, country comes first. However, if you have agreed to play the full season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), you should keep your commitment. You are letting the franchise down by not honouring your words. Players are making good money,” said the Little Master.

“Franchises should be allowed to deduct the money from the amount a player was bought for. Even the boards shouldn’t get the 10 percent commission of the fee that each player gets. If the boards don’t allow their players to continue, they should also get penalized. They are getting 10 percent commission and this practice is followed only in IPL. The BCCI doesn’t get appreciation for taking care of the other cricketing bodies,” the former Indian captain added.

Notably, ECB asked several players a couple of weeks ago to return for the home series against Pakistan, starting on May 22. Cricketers like Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Will Jacks and Reece Topley are part of the England squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.