Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran has demanded a ban on players who fail to show up for IPL after being picked up in the auction. As per Cricbuzz, she raised the demand during the meeting of the owners of the IPL franchises and the BCCI at the latter’s headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday. Maran claimed that there have been instances when an overseas player has refused to participate in the IPL after having being gone sold for a lower amount in the auction.
SRH demands ban on players who abandon IPL
As per Cricbuzz, Kavya Maran opined that a lot of effort and money goes into getting the team combination right and that it would all go down the drain when a player doesn’t show up, owing to the salary that he gets.
“After being selected in the auction, if a player doesn’t come to play the season for any reason apart from injury, he should be banned,” Maran said.
“The franchises put in a lot of effort into the auction to form their combinations. If a player goes for a low amount in the auction, and subsequently doesn’t turn up, it affects the combination and the balance of the side. There have been many instances of overseas players not turning up for this reason,” Maran added.
Hasaranga connection to Maran’s demand for ban?
Incidentally, Maran’s remarks come after Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga skipped IPL 2024 citing injury. The star was picked up by SRH for a sum of Rs 1.5cr while he enjoyed a huge Rs 10cr package while he was with RCB. The SRH side, led by skipper Pat Cummins, went on to become the runners-up of IPL 2024, overcoming the hurdle that was posed by Hasaranga’s absence.
SRH wants more retentions, mini-auction every year
Reports state that Kavya Maran further demanded at least six retentions or Right to Match (RTMs). She noted that only retentions are allowed, there is a good possibility that franchises will pay their retained players more than the retention value through side contracts.
“There have been numerous instances in the past where a player has preferred to go to the auction when he has felt that the retention amount is on the lower side. There have also been instances where multiple players have felt that they should be the first retention, and if not retained as first, they have asked to be put in the auction instead,” Maran argued while seeking more retentions or RTMs.