‘Throw away these players’: Gavaskar furious over IPL absence, slams ‘taken for granted’ culture

Sunil Gavaskar Strong criticism of several overseas players for opting out of the early stages of the 2026 Indian Premier League, accusing them of taking the league’s hospitality for granted and urging teams to adopt a stricter stance.Some high-profile absentees will miss the first game. Australian Pace Trio Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Stark Cricket Australia will miss the first three games due to health concerns, with Cricket Australia reportedly managing their workload amid a tight schedule. at the same time, Rocky Ferguson He will also miss a few games as he spends time with his newborn child.Gavaskar wasted no time in assessing the situation in his Sportstar column, pointing out what he saw as recurring issues with certain overseas players.“There is also the issue of franchises that are often taken for granted for some overseas players who are not available for non-injury and personal reasons,” Gavaskar wrote. “Please note that franchise owners go to great lengths to accommodate their players and they often pay for their families to come and spend time with the players while the millionaire players pay nothing. Please note that this is the Indian way and hospitality is often misunderstood by some as an entitlement and they then try to take advantage of the situation,” he added.He further warned that such a late absence would disrupt team balance and plans, calling on the franchise to take firm action.“We’ve heard that some players are unavailable for various reasons and they’re not informed until they’re picked up by the team. Unless team owners start to toughen up and release these players, they will find themselves hampered in their efforts to win championships. When players decide to come at any time, all the plans for building a team that they thought would help them win are thrown out the window,” he said.Gavaskar’s comments echoed similar concerns raised by others in the cricketing world. Akash Chopra Recently criticized for Ferguson’s absence, while Ravichandran Ashwin It is suggested that Kolkata Knight Riders should consider reducing Cameron GreenThe value of his contract if he is unable to play during the season.As IPL 2026 is about to kick off, the debate surrounding player availability and franchise planning is once again in the spotlight.