Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 standards should be improved, suggests Sunil Gavaskar
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Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that the standards of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy should be improved and for that, India internationals should take part in it. Gavaskar made these statements in response to the comment made on the IPL being reduced to Mushtaq Ali without foreign cricketers.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes the BCCI has taken the right decision to suspend the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. But things didn’t go well between Gavaskar and a top BCCI official who commented that the BCCI has to ensure the quality of the game is not poor. We did not want a Mushtaq Ali tournament. Gavaskar opined that if Mushtaq Ali is such a poor tournament, then why have it at all?
"Firstly, it's insulting to the great man after whom the tournament is named and secondly begs the question that if it's such a "poor" tournament, then why have it at all? Also, can light be shed on why the quality of the tournament is poor? Surely it's not simply because there are no international players in it, but also because there are no Indian internationals in it! That is a scheduling issue that the BCCI has to look at," said Gavaskar, reported The Times Of India.
The BCCI, on March 11, earlier put the IPL on hold till April 15 even though the tournament was set to start from March 29 after the government issued a travel advisory which made it clear that foreign players wouldn't be issued visas to come into the country. Gavaskar also said that the fate of the IPL depends upon how quickly the spread of coronavirus is controlled in the country.
"Whether the IPL will be played at all depends on how quickly the spread of COVID-19 is controlled. Till April 15 overseas players won't get a visa so it may take a bit longer for the tournament to take off. Foreign players bring a different flavour to the tournament and add to the excitement, so it's important to have them," added Gavaskar.
The Sports Ministry on March 12 made it clear that all sporting events should be cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed four lives in the country. And if it is unavoidable, the events should be held behind closed doors so as to avoid mass gatherings.
The Delhi government went a step further and said that there would be no IPL matches in the national capital till March 31.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly also informed the media after the meeting with IPL franchise owners last Saturday at the BCCI HQ in Mumbai that all calls would be taken keeping in mind the advisory from the government.
