Aakash Chopra, a former Indian cricketer, has noted that Pakistani players may soon be spotted playing for Indian teams even though they are not allowed to compete in the IPL. He was referring to the upcoming CSA and UAE T20 leagues when he said that.
The six South African T20 league teams have all been acquired by IPL franchise owners. Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Delhi Capitals (DC) owners have also purchased franchises in the upcoming International Competition T20 (ILT20) UAE league.
International Cricket Will Take A Hit With Rising Number Of Leagues
Chopra discussed the future T20 leagues and how Pakistani cricketers will once more begin competing for Indian owners. On his YouTube page, he stated:
“Pakistani players are banned in the IPL, but they play in all the other T20 leagues. So since Indian franchise owners have bought teams in other leagues, they will be hiring Pakistan players as well. This is also going to happen. So, Pakistani players are soon going to play for Indian employers once again.”
Commenting on the UAE T20 league he said, “The UAE is the first league in the world that can challenge the IPL. The success matrix as of now is – what is the salary cap of players? How much can you pay the cricketers? Players are commodities. In 2008, when the IPL auction happened, people were thinking – are these cattle being sold? But the reality now is that everyone wants to be sold.”
“The actual corporatization of cricket is happening now and very quickly at that. Something has to give. There are 365 days in a year but cricket equivalent to 700 days is already being played. CSA and UAE are at loggerheads for player acquisition. International cricket is going to take a big hit.”
It would interesting to see the PCB gives NOC to its players to play in these leagues.