“Pakistani players are soon going to play for Indian employers once again” - Aakash Chopra on UAE and CSA T20 leagues

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has pointed out that although Pakistani players are banned from participating in the IPL, they will soon be seen playing under Indian employers. He was speaking in reference to the upcoming UAE and CSA T20 leagues.

All six teams in the South African T20 league have been purchased by IPL franchise owners. The owners of Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) have also bought teams in the UAE league - International League T20 (ILT20) - that is set to get underway next year.

Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming T20 leagues, Chopra explained how Pakistani cricketers will once again start playing under Indian owners. He said on his YouTube channel:

“Pakistani players are banned in the IPL, but they play in all the other T20 leagues. So since Indian franchise owners have bought teams in other leagues, they will be hiring Pakistan players as well. This is also going to happen. So, Pakistani players are soon going to play for Indian employers once again.”

Pakistan players featured in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008. However, they have been banned from taking part in the T20 league following the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

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“UAE is the first league in the world that can challenge the IPL” - Aakash Chopra

Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming T20 competitions, Chopra also made a big statement on the upcoming UAE league. He said:

“The UAE is the first league in the world that can challenge the IPL. The success matrix as of now is - what is the salary cap of players? How much can you pay the cricketers? Players are commodities. In 2008, when the IPL auction happened, people were thinking - are these cattle being sold? But the reality now is that everyone wants to be sold.”

As per media reports, the highest paid player in ILT20 will fetch a salary of $450,000.

Concluding this thoughts on the rising influence of T20 leagues, Chopra opined:

“The actual corporatization of cricket is happening now and very quickly at that. Something has to give. There are 365 days in a year but cricket equivalent to 700 days is already being played. CSA and UAE are at loggerheads for player acquisition. International cricket is going to take a big hit.”

Meanwhile, as per reports, the IPL is all set to get an expanded two-and-a-half month window in the upcoming FTP cycle - 2023 to 2027.

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