Aakash Chopra wants IPL to allow five overseas players from the next season

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 suspended midway due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Board of Control for India (BCCI) has a daunting task challenge ahead of them. Only 29 of the 60 scheduled matches took place till the season suspension. Hence, it would be interesting to see how the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI conducts the remaining season. While the fate of this year’s tournament is under clouds, Aakash Chopra has an eye on IPL 2022.

The 15th edition of IPL will be a ten-team affair, with two new sides adding to the competition. The change will see the lucrative league being a ten-franchise event for the first time since 2011. With the dynamics of IPL changing next year, Aakash Chopra wants to see an increase in the number of overseas players allowed in the playing XI. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels five foreign players should be allowed in a line-up to maintain the quality of the competition.

IPL should allow 5 overseas players from next season: Aakash Chopra

“IPL should allow five overseas players in the playing eleven come next season when you have as many as ten teams. The reason for me saying that is that quality has to be paramount. IPL has succeeded, it has been the best T20 league in the world for a variety of reasons. One key element is the quality of cricket that is played on the park,” Chopra said to ESPNcricinfo.

Chopra has been a part of IPL’s commentary panel over the years and has observed the tournament closely. So far, only four overseas stars were allowed in a playing XI in IPL. However, the league will expand next year, and the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player believes that allowing one more foreign star in a line-up would ensure the competition’s essence.

“You can only ensure it (the quality of IPL) if you have five overseas players now. Because it is alright to have eight teams – seven Indians and four overseas players. Some teams are blessed with a lot of Indians but not most teams. So if you play five, then you can maintain the quality.”

Owing to the four-foreign player rule, several T20 stars like Chris Lynn, Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner have warmed benches in the past few seasons. In fact, a player of Chris Gayle’s caliber was out of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) line-up in the first half of IPL 2020. Hence, the implementation of Chopra’s rule will mean several teams can field an even stronger playing XI.