Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has targeted the scouting system of many people. Indian Premier League (IPL) Franchises are raising questions about the way teams identify and invest in players during the auction process. The veteran batsman believes that many cricketers are being selected based on their performance in lower-level tournaments, but that will be revealed only when they face the higher standards of competition in the league.
Over the years, the IPL has played a vital role in discovering and nurturing talent, helping players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Rinku Singh and Vaibhav Suryavanshi make a name for themselves on the biggest stage. However, Gavaskar feels that not every player who earns a lucrative contract is able to perform consistently against top quality opposition.
After the conclusion of IPL 2026, the legendary Indian batsman pointed out that impressive performances in state and city-based T20 leagues do not always translate into success in the IPL, where the quality of bowling and overall competition is much higher.
“Many big hitters who emerged in various state and city leagues have been exposed when facing international class bowling in the IPL,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
He further added, “In the state and city leagues, the standard of both batting and bowling is nowhere near good, and unless scouts have a discerning eye and do not fall prey to player agents, franchises will continue to pick players based on these performances and find that they have wasted their money.”
The former India opener criticized franchises for spending heavily on players, who often fail to justify their price tags and spend most of the season on the bench. According to him, such situations reflect poorly on the judgment of scouts and team consultants involved in the selection process.
“When a franchise picks a player for crores and then doesn't play him in more than a couple of games, it tells you that their scouts and consultants have sold them a dummy. The IPL very quickly finds a player as overrated and overvalued,” the great India batsman added.
“There will still be players who will have one performance in the tournament, and it is usually in a match not of much consequence for their team, and are selected for the second year on the basis of that performance. At least four teams can be made up of such one-match performers who will be selected again and again in the IPL.”
It was a blockbuster season of IPL 2026 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) successfully defended their title by defeating Gujarat Titans in the grand finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 31 May.
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