Why do city-based IPL teams not have/ lack city players?

T he Big Fat Indian Cricket Festival is on as Indian Premier League (IPL) teams draw a chunk of fans from the cities and states they’re named after. But have you ever imagined why team owners prefer to rely on players from other States to deliver? From its launch during the global recession of 2008 to the economic slowdown since the pandemic of 2020, the IPL has survived – and thrived. It’s astonishing to fathom why ten city-based franchise teams don’t consider city-based players.

Why do they don’t give back to their home bases? Yet, as IPL’s popularity soars, a chunk of its Indian fanbase remains local. Pehaps, one can carve the IPL fans into two categories - those that are from the same geography as the 10 teams and those that are from the rest of India. Over the years, fans from the first category have developed loyalty towards their city/state teams. For the rest of India, fans end up supporting one of these franchisees due to the presence of their heroes and marquee players such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni or Rohit Sharma.

But wait...the names (Royal Challengers ‘Bangalore’, ‘Lucknow’ Super Giants, ‘Chennai’ Super Kings) can be misleading, for IPL teams often have little representation from the cities/states they’re named after. No local players mean no local connection. And IPL owners are fine with it. Simply because there’s no outrage. Fans are not asking for it. They are happy to cheer for Virat Kohli and boo KL Rahul in Bengaluru.

On April 11, Tamil Nadu MLA R Venkatesan sparked controversy by demanding that CSK should be ‘banned’ from IPL because the team doesn’t include any youth from the state of Tamil Nadu. He seems to have gone overboard but the issue should be addressed in an official manner. Like for instance we have a four foreign player limit in the playing 11, similarly, we need to have some number for local talent as well. If the owners pick at least four-five of the top state players, they would have inspired another 40-50 youngsters to take up the sport.

But then, IPL is more about business and less about promoting cricket. These local stars miss out a chance to play at their home ground. Unfortunately, Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament don’t bring up the crowds like IPL. The governing body should bring back the rule which made it mandatory for teams to pick players from the state’s catchment area. Also, many of the local players couldn’t exhibit their prowess in the T20 version, as the BCCI always goofs up the schedule of the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament.

This tourney helped the scouts zero in on the players whom they wanted to buy. And most importantly, IPL rules should be made more favourable to the uncapped players in India. Franchises drifting away from local players over the last few years is not something to be proud of. Team owners should consider local players and it will of course draw a fanbase for them too. On the whole, it would be a win-win case for everyone