“Taking Indian Hospitality for Granted”: Sunil Gavaskar Slams Overseas Stars For Late IPL Arrivals

Mumbai, March 23: As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign nears its commencement, questions remain over the availability of certain overseas stars. Every season, late changes are made to rosters as players withdraw from the league for various reasons. Sunil Gavaskar, the Indian cricket legend, has urged franchises to adopt a tougher stance on this issue and drop overseas stars who, in his view, are taking the league “for granted.” Gavaskar has even suggested that IPL teams should refuse to entertain latecomers altogether.

Gavaskar, who continues to be an active member of the IPL commentary panel, is never one to shy away from sharing his views on both on- and off-field developments. He believes some overseas players often take “Indian hospitality” for granted, which should not be the case.

“There is also the usual taking-the-franchise-for-granted issue with some overseas players, who are not going to be available for non-injury and personal reasons. The owners of the franchises go out of their way to accommodate their players, often paying for families to come and spend time with the players at no cost to the millionaire players, mind you. It’s the Indian way and hospitality, which is often misunderstood as a right by some, who then try to take advantage of the situation,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

“We are already hearing about some players who will not be available for a variety of reasons, none of which were informed before they were selected by the franchise. Unless franchise owners start to get tough and drop these players, they will find themselves hampered in their efforts to win the title. All the planning in forming the squad, which they believe can help them win, goes out of the window when players decide to come whenever they want,” he added.

The likes of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins are among the overseas stars expected to join the tournament late due to fitness concerns.

“Still, it promises to be the tournament that even the carpers secretly keep a tab on, and one where the evenings until 31 May will be like hardly ever seen before,” Gavaskar asserted.