Kamal Ghorui
Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticised several overseas players for opting out of the early phase of Indian Premier League 2026, accusing them of taking the league’s hospitality for granted and urging franchises to adopt a stricter stance.A number of high-profile absentees are set to miss the opening matches. Australian pace trio Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will be unavailable for the first three games due to fitness concerns, with Cricket Australia reportedly managing their workload amid a demanding schedule. Meanwhile, Lockie Ferguson is also set to miss a few matches as he spends time with his newborn child.Writing in his Sportstar column, Gavaskar did not hold back in his assessment of the situation, pointing to what he believes is a recurring issue with certain overseas players.“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,” Gavaskar wrote. “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 often is misunderstood as a right by some and who then try and take advantage of the situation,” he added.He further warned that such late unavailability disrupts team balance and planning, calling on franchises to take firm action.“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 being 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 said.Gavaskar’s remarks echo similar concerns raised by others in the cricketing fraternity. Aakash Chopra recently criticised Ferguson’s absence, while Ravichandran Ashwin suggested that Kolkata Knight Riders should consider reducing Cameron Green’s contract value if he is unable to bowl during the season.With IPL 2026 set to get underway, the debate around player availability and franchise planning is once again in sharp focus.
