Australian cricketers should prioritize domestic cricket over IPL, opines Ian Chappell

With the Covid-19 pandemic taking two months away from the sport of cricket, which has resulted in the postponement of several tournaments and bilateral series, boards across the world are in a panic mode to make up for the lost time, a result of which multiple tournaments are being aimed to be crammed in towards the latter half of the year. The BCCI being optimistic about holding the IPL in the September-November window could mean that the tournament could directly clash with the commencement of the Australian domestic season, which usually kicks off a month and a half prior to the international home summer.

This could effectively mean several - if not all - Australian cricketers flying out to India and honouring their T20 commitments with their respective IPL franchises, but one person who is strictly against such an event occurring is former Australian skipper Ian Chappell. The 76-year-old is of the opinion that the Aussie cricketers are obliged to stay back and play domestic cricket in the country, sheerly due to how much Cricket Australia have invested in them.

"Well this is coming from someone who's never been a fan of the board, but the top players are looked after very well by Cricket Australia these days, so I think there's an obligation there," Chappell told Wide World of Sports, reported Times Now.

Chappell also stated that such a move - that of Australian players giving preference to the IPL - would keep the BCCI in check and not allow India control the world of cricket. The former Aussie skipper also added that the Australian players are already paid well enough by the board and thus it would make no sense for them to play in the IPL citing financial troubles.

"It's also a chance to stand up and say the cricket world isn't going to be pushed around by India. I could mount a case more for a peripheral player who doesn't earn a lot of money in Australia; if the bulk of his income is going to come from the IPL, well that's something I would have some sympathy for if I was a CA board member. But the top players are well paid, and that argument doesn't hold any water. Their obligation should be to Australia," the 76-year-old concluded.