MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli propose salary limit for uncapped players in the IPL

Dhoni has closely worked with youngsters in the Jharkhand state team (Image courtesy: PTI)

What’s the story?

In a bid to monitor the growing influence of T20 leagues on youngsters, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have suggested to put a salary cap on uncapped players for the IPL.

A BCCI official told The Indian Express that players like KC Cariappa are sending wrong signals to other first-class players with their hefty IPL paychecks. Cariappa was picked for a whopping Rs. 2.4 crore by the KKR, played the Karnataka Premier League, but has not represented Karnataka.

“On one side we have some who play non-stop Ranji Trophy games and earn only 10-12 lakh in an entire season, and here comes a boy who is getting so much. Kohli and Dhoni felt it wasn’t right and BCCI should keep a salary cap on these uncapped players,” a source in the BCCI informed.

In case you didn’t know…

With currently no salary cap on non-international players, the previous seasons of IPL have seen astonishing figures for obscure names. Pawan Negi, the all-rounder from Delhi, was one of IPL’s most expensive buys ever, snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 8.5 crore.

Recently, T Natarajan, who plied his trade for Kings XI Punjab, went for Rs. 3 crore in the 2017 IPL auctions.

The heart of the matter

Kohli and Dhoni, the latter in particular, have vehemently endorsed a salary limit on uncapped youngsters, suggesting that such disparity leads to domestic cricket’s decreased importance in the eyes of other players.

Ever since his Test retirement, Dhoni has been working from close quarters with the Jharkhand state team, and has been responsible in mentoring several budding players like Ishan Kishan.

The Indian star duo want the BCCI to ensure that the domestic players, who aren’t handed massive cheques in the IPL, are adequately compensated in the domestic circuit, and their opinion is said to have been well-received by the BCCI.

What’s next?

The Dhoni-Kohli suggestion is one of the topics that'll be discussed when the BCCI's governing council assembles for a meeting on December 6.

Author's take

Money and youth is always a heady concoction that can spiral downwards if not tended to properly. Recently, Rahul Dravid, coach of the Indian junior teams, had said that at a young age, lucrative contracts is something every budding cricketers should be guarded against, and that endorsements are best left for established stars.

While quick money can be helpful in the youngster getting adequate facilities and assist in financially stabilising his family, a cap would ensure that they don’t rest on their laurels.