IPL should give more opportunities to Indian coaches, suggests Mohammad Azharuddin

The Indian Premier League, since its inception in 2008, has had a lot of foreign hirings and not just in the form of players but the coaching staff as well. When Rajasthan Royals lifted the IPL trophy in 2008, Shane Warne was both the captain and coach of the side. It was under Stephen Fleming’s coaching that Chennai Super Kings lifted their first title in 2010 and their latest one in 2018. The trend of foreign coaches continued in the IPL but former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin stated that he wants IPL teams to hire Indians coaches in their support staff since it’s an Indian League. 

"The IPL teams should give an opportunity to former India players, who're fairly experienced, to coach their teams. After all, it's the Indian Premier League, and more Indian coaches must get chances in it. Our coaches don't get to coach in the Big Bash or coach the Australian or England teams. It's the franchisees' prerogative to hire anyone, but we must remember that we've former cricketers who've played a lot of international cricket in their time. They too deserve a chance, encouragement and the financial benefits of coaching in the IPL," said Azharuddin on Pahar TV.

"I agree that the Board is giving financial benefits to these former cricketers, but if a lot of foreigners can come here and become millionaires through coaching in the IPL, why can't our players be allowed to do the same? I raised this issue in the BCCI's Annual General Meeting (AGM) last year."

The current HCA chief, who played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs for India, further added that many star players chose to miss domestic fixtures in recent times especially since the IPL’s inception. He stressed the importance of top Indian players contributing to the domestic scene.

"The Board should take action against the players who are missing domestic games deliberately. When an India player plays for his domestic team, then youngsters get to learn a lot from him. I agree that the IPL is the premier tournament in world cricket, and everyone - the board and the players - benefits from it, but playing domestic is necessary," he added.