“Its getting dangerous”: says Adam Gilchrist about IPL’s dominance

To argue that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has transformed cricket would be an understatement. The IPL has revolutionised many cricketers’ lives by providing them with a platform to display their skills and earn a reputation for themselves.

Many young and ambitious cricketers were able to realise their ambitions thanks to the IPL, and the T20 league’s popularity saw it become the world’s second most valuable sporting league in terms of per-match value.

Former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist, expressed worry over the IPL’s monopoly in international competitions. Gilchrist expressed alarm on Wednesday over the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) worldwide expansion, saying the cash-rich league’s aspirations to monopolise T20 franchise cricket are becoming “a little bit dangerous.”

Gilchrist was responding to suggestions that Australia’s top hitter David Warner may forgo his own country’s T20 tournament, the Big Bash League, in order to play in the UAE. He believed that Cricket Australia will not compel Warner to play in the Big Bash League (BBL) if he has already made up his mind to do so. Gilchrist’s remarks came amid rumours that Australian batter David Warner may skip the Big Bash Tournament (BBL) season in order to play in the more lucrative United Arab Emirates T20 league. Three IPL teams, the Mumbai Indians, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Delhi Capitals, have invested in teams in the UAE T20 league, which is an interesting fact.

“They can’t force David Warner to play in BBL, I understand that,” Gilchrist said on SEN’s Whateley radio show. “But to let him go off – or another player, let’s not single out Warner because there will be other players on the radar – it’s all part of this global dominance that these IPL franchises are starting to create given they own a number of teams in Caribbean Premier League.”

“The hold that it has on that ownership and the ownership of the players and their skills and where they can and cannot play is becoming a little bit scary,” he continued.

While Gilchrist may be correct in his concern that Warner may pave the way for others to pick and choose the leagues they wish to play and, in doing so, bypass their own country’s league, this does not change the fact that it is ultimately up to the players to decide where they wish to play in a particular part of the world.

Gilchrist said: “You can’t challenge him on that, that’s his choice and he’s done everything he needs to earn the profile and get the market value. If he (Warner) rides off into the sunset and says, ‘Sorry Australian cricket, I’m going to become a gun for hire for my Indian franchise club in various competitions,’ that’s his prerogative. It will be really difficult when a fresh, younger player enters the game and begins to make those noises,” he continued.

Gilchrist, who played for Australia in 96 Tests, 287 ODIs, and 13 T20Is, has previously played for IPL clubs like the now-defunct Deccan Charges and the Punjab Kings. He guided the Deccan Charges to their first IPL championship in 2009.