IPL Regarded as the richest and most sought-after club cricket league’s across the globe, IPL’s value is way ahead of other cricket leagues. This is the primary reason why players love to get associated with IPL. Some players have made a name for themselves, courtesy of their excellent performance in the Indian Premier League.
The role of domestic cricket is of paramount importance in setting up the career of a cricketer in India. But, it is also said that these players, who come to the IPL auction pool, courtesy of their excellent domestic record, overlook these domestic games when they get name and fame from the IPL. A recent example is Kartik Tyagi, who has overseen domestic cricket in lieu of getting a chance in the IPL.
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An Overview Of The Indian Domestic Cricket Structure
The Indian domestic cricket structure is regarded as one of the most extensive cricket feasts. We have a few domestic tournaments that have been held for a few decades. Ranji Trophy is considered to be the most important domestic tournament in India.
The selectors have a close look at the performance of the players in the Ranji Trophy, who become the future stars of Indian cricket. Then we have other domestic tournaments such as Deodhar Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Duleep Trophy, etc.
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These tournaments are the base from where the cricketers get noticed and become IPL stars. But, a sad reality is that the players who get picked in the IPL courtesy of their impressive domestic performance start overlooking these domestic games once they become regular members of IPL teams.
Even the regular Indian players also hesitate to play these domestic leagues. Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, etc., can be rarely seen playing in these domestic cricket tournaments.
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Foreign Domestic Cricket And The Difference
If we compare the Indian domestic cricket teams with the domestic teams of countries such as England, Australia, the difference becomes huge. Domestic teams such as Middlesex, Sussex, Durhan, Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania, which are the backbone of England and Australian cricket, are highly respected.
The national selectors always focus on the players’ performance from these teams while naming any national squad. But, here in India, IPL’s performance takes centerstage to select a player in the national team.
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Why The Indian Cricketers Don’t Want To Play In Domestic Leagues After IPL?
Money
IPL, being the wealthiest club cricket league globally, brings a humungous monetary benefit to the players. They get paid a hefty amount for just a season. This is exponentially higher than what they get in the domestic tournaments. On average, a Ranji player gets 2 lakh rupee for playing in a Ranji match, whereas he gets around 3-4 crores in the IPL season. So, this monetary benefit attracts the players more towards the IPL than the domestic tournaments.
Facilities In IPL
There is no denying the fact that BCCI provides an excellent facility to the players in the IPL. They have all the amenities, including International masseuses, 5-7 star hotel accommodation, state-of-the-art training facilities, etc., which are not present in India’s domestic cricket tournament. These things also become a driving force for the players to choose IPL over domestic leagues.
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Brand Image
The brand value of an IPL player is way more than any domestic player in India. We even don’t recall a few players who play in the domestic circuit. But, as soon as they feature in the IPL, these players become an overnight sensation. Examples can be Harshal Patel ( purple cap winner VIVO IPL 2021) Chetan Sakariya, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, etc. Hardly anyone knew about them in the domestic games, but as soon as they performed in the IPL, these players are now in the limelight.
There is no denying that IPL has transformed Indian cricket. But, it should also be kept in mind that most Indian IPL players have their roots from the domestic tournaments in India. The players should also give ample time to the domestic matches so that the importance of these tournaments does not diminish.
