People who don’t benefit from IPL criticise it, opines Sunil Gavaskar

Indian Premier League has always been in the spotlight, be it for its success or its scandal. It has been the talk of the town from the beginning and has its own set of ‘critics’. Dismissing all the criticism, India’s cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar came out in support of the Indian Premier League, which is set to begin in the UAE from September 19. Gavaskar labelled the critics ‘jealous’ as they do not benefit from the IPL. He pointed out that the cash-rich tournament is a source of livelihood for many individuals and there’s a whole industry attached to it. 

"They (the critics) only see the money aspect that is there in the IPL. They don't look at what the IPL does. I think it all boils down to jealousy. Only those who do not benefit from it, do not get anything from the IPL criticise it," Gavaskar said on India Today's latest episode of Inspiration as quoted by Times of India. 

"There are so many people whose livelihoods are there because of the IPL. It can be the guys who are at the grounds who paint people's faces, people who are making those shirts that are sold outside the stadiums just before a match, or the vendors who have food stalls at the stadium. There is an entire cottage industry around the IPL," he further added.

The former Indian captain also mentioned that IPL is a soft target and people often use it to become famous on the internet. He sarcastically dismissed the argument of people who claim to be thinking for the greater good of Indian cricket and reckoned that the people involved in the operation of Indian cricket have good faith in it. 

"Somebody wants to be a little famous on the Internet, then you target the IPL. The IPL is a soft target. An argument people opposed to the IPL give is, we know Indian cricket and we are thinking of the good of Indian cricket. Oh, I see, so you are the only ones who are going to be sitting in judgement and telling us what is good for Indian cricket. Of course, not," he concluded.