News
NZ cricketer association labeled IPL auction process ridiculous
By Aditya Pratap - Jan 31, 2018 4:04 pm
Views 0

The auction of Indian Premier League 2018 is done and dusted, where 578 players went under the hammer and 169 were bought by eight franchises. These players are from every country and the record was created with Sandeep Lamichhane being the first ever Nepali player in this league.

Meanwhile, this auction process didn’t go down well to the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), who feels that IPL is a ridiculous league and slammed the auction process with hard words.

Also Read: Tim Southee will play for RCB

NZCPA chief executive Heath Mills said that the entire system is archaic and was highly unprofessional. “I think the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for players, who are paraded like cattle for all the world to see,” Mills quoted to ESPNcricinfo.

“The players enter the auction not knowing where they are going, who their team-mates are going be, who’s managing them, who the owners are — no other sports league in the world engages players on that basis.”

There are few Kiwi players in this league as well. Former skipper Brendon McCullum has been a major part of this league since its inception way back in 2008. Kane Williamson is holding this baton now while Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner are other Kiwi players in this league.

Mills further added “There’s lot of good things about the Indian Premier League and it’s been great for cricket but I’d like to see it mirror the rest of professional sport in the way they engage athletes. The auction system is wrong – it’s not professional, far from it. Apart from the public disappointment of players being are passed in, those who are picked up are treated badly by modern standards.”

Also Read: These players may lead IPL teams this year

Meanwhile, the auctions may well be a thing of the past as far as uncapped players are concerned after Indian Premier League’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Hemang Amin hinted that the BCCI may adopt a draft system for picking the uncapped players.

IPL 11 will kick off on April 7 in Mumbai with the final will be hosted at the same venue on May 27.