Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has sparked a new debate amid IPL 2026 as he urged the BCCI to crack down on foreign cricketers who do not play their specified role for which they were bought during the IPL auction.
The minimal role of foreign cricketers like Cameron Green for their respective franchises in IPL 2026 has been criticized by former cricketers as well as fans. Green has been banned by Cricket Australia from bowling in the initial phase of IPL 2026, despite KKR selecting him in the role of an all-rounder.
Cameron Green has managed to score only 24 runs in 3 matches in this edition of IPL and his average is only 8. However, Kolkata will be expecting something big from them as they have invested huge amount of money in them.
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Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his desire to intervene from BCCI amid concerns regarding the workload of foreign players.
Amidst the controversial moves of foreign cricketers, the great Sunil Gavaskar has started a new debate in the IPL. In his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar questioned the trend of all-rounders appearing solely as batsmen despite being selected for their dual skills.
“A bowler can bowl only four overs in a match… who is stopping them from doing that in the game?” He wrote a sharp criticism of workload management narratives. Gavaskar’s comments come amid criticism being leveled at franchises like KKR and SRH who are struggling with their combinations, especially with the ball.
Gavaskar cited the existing BCCI rules and urged the Indian board to take action against foreign players in the IPL. He referred to the two-year ban imposed on foreign players who withdraw from the IPL after being bought.
“Perhaps the BCCI needs to step up and…introduce something similar for players who are not available from the first game,” he wrote. He also stressed that franchises that invest so much money deserve some degree of commitment from these players.
Sunil Gavaskar ignores cricket boards’ excuses
Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed with the cricket board’s comment, who claimed that the franchises were informed in advance. They criticized him for making such comments, as he questioned the timing and transparency of those disclosures.
Sunil Gavaskar said, “Suggesting that the franchises were ‘informed first’ is not a strong excuse.” This was clearly a criticism of CA, who had made the same claim on Cameron Green, who did not bowl for KKR. He highlighted that KKR were informed about Green not bowling after the player was selected as an all-rounder in the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
He also claimed that players who do not feel that they cannot perform to the best of their abilities should step aside and withdraw from the competition. “It is absolutely fair that a player who is not fit from day one should step down and give the franchise a chance to select someone else,” he said.
Gavaskar reveals the story behind the NOC for IPL
Indian great Sunil Gavaskar then revealed that the IPL has not only been attractive for foreign players but has also become an important source of revenue for cricket boards. He revealed that although it is not a well-known fact, boards earn up to 10% of players’ auction fees for granting NOCs.
According to Gavaskar’s latest revelations, 16 Australian players have been signed for a total of Rs 121.65 crore, while 12 English players have received Rs 68 crore. 12 players from New Zealand have earned more than Rs 33 crore, 17 players from South Africa have earned around Rs 71 crore and eight players from West Indies have earned close to Rs 59 crore.
This clearly means that a portion of these can be assigned to the boards, which is a huge revenue for them. Sunil Gavaskar further said that such a unique system has not existed in any other T20 league.
Also read: Why is RCB dominating in IPL 2026? 3 big non-Virat Kohli reasons revealed
