IPL: Should the number of foreign players in the playing XI be increased?

Chris Gayle has been the most prolific batsman in the IPL in the last few seasons

One of the most debated topics regarding the IPL is its rule of allowing (only) four foreigners in the playing eleven. While some feel the IPL Committee must increase the number to five, others argue that the number is perfect to keep the Indian Premier League as ‘Indian’ as possible. Recently, it has been Rahul Dravid, the Rajasthan Royals skipper, who has expressed his opinion regarding the issue. He said that he is in favour of increasing the number of foreigners in the playing eleven, thus suggesting a modification in the rules. The Royals evidently have quite a number of brilliant foreign international players in the squad, but they have been warming the benches just because the four in the eleven are at their best and the skipper cannot drop them stating lack of performance. For example, Owais Shah, who had performed well previously, has got only one match this season, and given his tough predicament, one has got to feel for Dravid when he makes this statement.

However, in hindsight, increasing the number of foreign players would mean reduction in the number of Indian players from seven to six. A tournament of nine teams where the number of the Indian players is almost the same as overseas players doesn’t ideally uphold the essence and the intended meaning of its name. Thus, the question is: How Indian is the Indian Premier League?

As is the case, fortunately or unfortunately for the franchises, the foreign players are performing much better than the Indians, which is primarily the reason behind skippers like Dravid calling for more foreigners in the side. However, one needs to remember that the IPL was actually designed to give uncapped Indian players a platform to showcase their talent, grab the selectors’ eyes and make a mark. The originality of the tournament lay in the fact that youngsters, under the able guidance of the seniors and international veterans like Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Andrew Flintoff and Chris Gayle, would, in turn, have a professional outlook towards the sport and would be groomed for the ultimate goal of representing the nation. The innovation seemed to work in the first couple of seasons, when rookies like Mandeep Singh and Manpreet Gony shot to fame following their eye-catching performances for their respective franchises. However, they faded away soon without making too much of an impact in the international arena. The IPL, now in its sixth season, has converged into a tournament of merriment for the likes of Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga, AB de Villiers and Sunil Narine. The uncapped Indian players continue to show promise with players like Vohra, Vihari and Mohit Sharma making the headlines on quite a few occasions. However, it remains to be seen whether these youngsters actually survive or fade away into oblivion.

The superiority of the foreigners in the previous seasons of the tournament is visible from the table given below which displays the Orange and Purple Cap holders respectively in the past five seasons.

Player	Team	Season	Runs
Shaun Marsh	KXIP	2008	616
M Hayden	CSK	2009	572
SR Tendulkar	MI	2010	618
Chris Gayle	RCB	2011	608
Chris Gayle	RCB	2012	733

Player	Team	Season	Wickets
Sohail Tanvir	RR	2008	22
RP Singh	DC	2009	23
Pragyan Ojha	DC	2010	21
Lasith Malinga	MI	2011	28
Morne Morkel	DD	2012	25

In the past five years, the foreigners have laid claim to the Orange Cap as many as four times (with Chris Gayle standing out twice in the last couple of seasons and looks well set to claim a hat-trick of Orange Caps) while the Purple Cap has travelled outside India thrice. Clearly, the Indian batsmen and the bowlers have been outclassed by the foreign cavalry of the franchises. As if that is not enough, the top three bowlers in the fifth edition of the IPL have all been overseas players (Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine and Lasith Malinga).

Lasith Malinga has been the key to Mumbai’s consistent performances

If we look at the four most star-studded franchises – Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils – it’s no surprise that all of them have mainly banked on overseas forces for their triumphs. While Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden and Dwayne Bravo have scripted numerous wins for the Chennai outfit, it’s been Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers who have taken the bulk of the responsibility for Vijay Mallya’s team. Mumbai have banked on Lasith Malinga to spearhead their vicious pace attack alongside Mitchell Johnson, while the big-hitter Kieron Pollard is one of the biggest threats for the opposition. As for Delhi, Mahela Jayawardene has given them the support they needed while David Warner and Morne Morkel have proved to be worthy buys.

Thus, the Indian players, unfortunately, have lived in the shadows of their overseas counterparts. Not that it’s been completely dismal for the Indians. The senior pros have done their job in carrying the teams forward, but it’s been the youngsters who have struggled to keep afloat. Playing against the top international players is by no means an easy task, especially in the pressure-cooker situations that the shortest format dishes out. They have displayed the fortitude and brilliance needed to get into the Indian team, but not the right amount of perseverance. Thus, they have shone bright like stars, but only temporarily; and then they have faded away.

Coming back to the original topic, it is my personal opinion that IPL rules give the right amount of exposure to the uncapped Indian cricketers and strike a perfect balance between the foreigners and the Indians. So, instead of being overly dependent on foreign recruits, franchises must look forward to making their Indian contingent strong first! No matter how badly a team suffers from selection issues, I’ll be always in favour of sticking to the original rules. It is the Indian Premier League, after all!