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Gavaskar Urges BCCI to Impose Fines on Players Pulling Out of IPL
Sunil Gavaskar urges BCCI: Sunil Gavaskar has demanded that the BCCI impose a two-year ban on foreign players who leave the tournament midway after being acquired in the IPL auction. It's time they face even harsher punishment.
However, a two-year ban for foreign players who pulled out of the tournament prior to the IPL 2026 mini-auction is not enough. According to Sunil Gavaskar, a former India captain, the BCCI should also impose a huge fine on players. Gavaskar made this statement a few days after England opener Ben Duckett pulled out of the IPL 2026 tournament. Duckett was supposed to feature for the Delhi Capitals. However, he announced his withdrawal from the IPL on social media, prioritizing domestic cricket to focus on his international career.
In fact, Ben Duckett was bought by the Delhi Capitals for ₹2 crore in the mini-auction. However, ahead of the upcoming Test matches against New Zealand, he has prioritized playing in the County Championship over the IPL. This decision has resulted in his IPL ban for the next two years, just as his captain Harry Brook was last time.
Sunil Gavaskar believes that a two-year ban is not enough, and it's time for the BCCI to take more stringent and strict measures. Speaking to India Today, he said that Ben Duckett had a poor Ashes series, and if he hadn't been bought for such a large sum in The Hundred auction, things might have been different. It's understandable that after receiving a handsome price in The Hundred, he was happy to leave the IPL and say he wanted to focus on his England Test career.
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Gavaskar said the BCCI should consider what should be done, as a two-year ban is clearly not working. "You need to find something that has an impact. Unless it impacts the player and his chances of returning to the IPL, it won't work."
When asked what the punishment should be, Gavaskar said, "I don't know. I'm not on the Governing Council. I haven't thought about it. For example, whenever we talk about imposing penalties on teams that bowl slow, placing an extra fielder inside the 30-meter circle instead of outside it could impact the game."
He said it was a very effective penalty. "Bowlers and fielders will want to work very quickly because they want all five fielders outside the 30-meter circle in the last few overs. So, I think you need a penalty that has an impact." It should directly impact the players. I don't know how that will happen, but it's clearly something the BCCI needs to sit down and think about.
