According to the Indian batting legend, if a player has signed the contract for a full season, he should play the entire edition

New Delhi: After his controversy with Virat Kohli over the latter’s strike rate I IPL 2024, Sunil Gavaskar has now made a scathing attack on the England players who are leaving for their national duty ahead of the IPL 2024 playoffs. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has called all the T20 World Cup-bound players before the IPL 2024 playoffs for the home series against Pakistan as a preparation for the mega tournament in USA and West Indies.

While the England vs Pakistan T20I series begins on May 22, the IPL 2024 playoffs starts a day earlier. In fact, for the England players to join the national camp, they need to go atleast a few days earlier. Gavaskar, a former India captain felt that if the overseas players aren’t staying for a full IPL season, then there should be a salary cut for those along with their respective cricket boards.

With a host of English players leaving, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will suffer the most. While KKR will miss opener Phil Salt in the playoffs, Rajasthan Royals won’t get Jos Buttler if the inaugural champions make it to the final four.

“I am all for players choosing country before anything else but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, if they pull out now, it will be letting down the franchises which probably pay them more money in one IPL season which they don’t earn in a few seasons with their country,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying in his column for Mid-day.

“The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the player was bought for, but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 per cent commission of the fee that each player gets,” he added.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings’ hard-hitting middle-order batter Liam Livingstone has already left for his home, despite the franchise having two more league games to play.