Former Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar gave his views on the Indian Premier League and how the tournament has changed the landscape of Indian cricket. Recalling how he saw the Indian cricket having no money, and then only Sachin Tendulkar having money to now everyone earning a good amount of money, Akhtar summed up the progress of the tournament.
Previously, the Indian cricket did not have a rich status. There was a time when the BCCI had to pay money to broadcasters to broadcast the matches of India. Nowadays, the broadcasters pay crores of money just to get the rights to telecast and live stream the matches of India and IPL.
Akhtar, who played for the Pakistan cricket team at the international level, said that he has seen the progress of the Indian Premier League. Commenting on how the tournament has helped the players financially, the retired player said on Sportskeeda:
“I saw an India where no one had money, then I saw an India where only Sachin [Tendulkar] had money and now I am seeing an India where everyone has money. And they have it with full responsibility.”
Shoaib Akhtar reveals how IPL has taken the players away from fixing
Akhtar pointed out that if a player performs well, he will earn lots of money in the IPL. In case, he takes an alternate route to fix matches and earn money, then he will lose out on the big IPL contracts.
“I think it’s great that people are earning money and being responsible. If you are not focused and do match-fixing and stuff, then you are only losing things,” he added.
The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League will get underway tonight with a blockbuster match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders scheduled to happen from 7:30 PM IST onwards in Mumbai.
