Parents nowadays want their kids to play in the IPL and not particularly for India: Kapil Dev

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been around for 12 years now, and former India captain Kapil Dev believes that the glamour-filled franchise-based league has had a positive impact on the game.

According to Kapil Dev, the IPL has helped change how Indian parents think, giving them a more positive outlook towards a career in cricket. He says that the parents these days are more concerned about their child playing in the IPL than playing for India.

Speaking to Indranil Basu and Shanivi Sadana on Sportskeeda’s new show, ‘Free Hit’, Kapil Dev went on to state that it is the parents’ job to help their kids make a life out of the sport.

“Today parents want their kid to go and play in the IPL. When the parents’ thought process changes, then everything changes. So many people come to me, and they are not bothered if their kid plays for India. Can he play IPL? I get zapped sometimes, but the parents’ job is that they can make a life out of it (IPL),” Kapil Dev said.

I would give credit to IPL for giving young boys a chance to play: Kapil Dev

While young cricketers would struggle to get a chance to prove their mettle at a bigger stage, Kapil Dev believes the IPL deserves credit for giving them that opportunity.

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain is of the opinion that the glitzy-league gives younger players a platform to show their talents and improve themselves.

“Today the young boys get a chance to go and play IPL, they get so many matches. The more you play, the better you become. I would give a lot of credit to IPL,” Kapil Dev told Sportskeeda.

Kapil Dev retired in 1994, having played 131 Test matches and 225 ODIs for India. But an ODI strike rate of 95+ in that era makes you wonder: what if the great man played T20Is?