IPL: 3 ways to further improve the tournament

#3 Reduction of overseas slots in the playing XI

Overseas players are always the biggest crowd pullers in IPL

As per the current rules, an IPL team is allowed to field a maximum of 4 overseas players in their starting XI. The remaining 7 slots will be filled by the Indian players. Assume that a team fields 2-3 star Indian players and 2-3 fringe Indian players (who are currently not considered for selection). This leaves a maximum of only 1-2 slots available for the new local Indian players.

IPL is viewed as a platform for young Indian players to showcase their talents. In reality, this statement takes a heavy beating. Very few teams (for example, Rahul Dravid's Rajasthan Royals & Delhi Daredevils in the previous editions) are giving real importance to local Indian players and providing them enough opportunities to prevail in this tough environment.

In case of ‘Big Bash League’ (Australia's premier domestic T20 tournament), only 2 overseas players are allowed in the playing XI. This allows teams to field unknown Australian players. Since the foreign players bring in more flavor and attractions, IPL committee may permit the teams to field a maximum of 2-3 players in the upcoming seasons. This might result in youngsters getting more chances instead of warming up the benches & carrying drinks in an entire season.