“National team should come first”: Kapil Dev takes a dig at IPL after India’s exit from T20 World Cup 2021

Kapil Dev takes a dig at IPL: The former Indian captain laid emphasis on learning from mistakes ahead of the next T20 World Cup.

In around half an hour or so, India will start their last Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Before the start of the tournament, hardly would’ve anyone thought about this match also being India’s last of the tournament.

In what has been a shambolic performance by one of the favourites, India won’t be entering the knockout stage of an ICC (International Cricket Council) event for the first time since 2012 (ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka).

Readers must note that tonight’s match against Namibia in Dubai will also be the last match under an otherwise successful team management headed by captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.

Kapil Dev takes a dig at IPL after India’s exit from T20 World Cup

Speaking to ABP News, former India captain Kapil Dev took a dig at the Indian Premier League raising questions around the tight scheduling between the two major tournaments. It is worth mentioning that IPL 2021 and T20 World Cup 2021 were played with only a handful of days in between them.

ALSO READ: Kapil Dev expresses concern on Virat Kohli’s weak “we weren’t brave” statement

Dev, who categorically mentioned that he isn’t against modern-day playing for their franchises, called for better and player-friendly scheduling on the part of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India).

“When the players prefer to play IPL over playing for the country, what can we say? I believe that every player should feel proud playing for their country. I believe that your national team should come first and after that franchise or any other team.

ALSO READ: Bharat Arun considers a “short break” to be ideal between IPL 2021 and T20 World Cup

“I am not saying don’t play cricket there (for franchises) but it is now BCCI’s responsibility to plan their cricket [scheduling] better for the future,” Dev told ABP News.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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