Australian legend, Adam Gilchrist has expressed his desire to see Indian players feature in Big Bash League (BBL) in the future.
The 44-year old believes that the inclusion of star Indian players would help the tournament reach more people across the world. No active Indian player has ever featured in an international domestic T20 tournament other than IPL since its inception.
BCCI wants the players to play in the domestic season which will take place in the same period as BBL. Some believe that BCCI are doing it purposefully, as they don’t want to decrease the craze of IPL by allowing its players to play in foreign T20 league.
Talking about the inclusion of Indian players in BBL, Gilly said, “It’s a challenging one because their (India’s) cricket season is on (during the BBL), so the seasons overlap.”
“I hope Indian players could play in the future because Australia and other nations have made concessions to play in their tournament (IPL),” he told Cricbuzz in his interview.
The former IPL player also feels that including Indian players would be beneficial for all.
“I think it would be a huge boost for the game and also for the Indian cricketers to gain experience in these conditions and these tournaments rather than have a blinkered view. I think it would be wonderful if all nations were represented in the BBL. Then it would come down to the individual players if they wanted to be part of it. It is encouraging (India’s) women’s players have been given the green light (to play in the WBBL), so hopefully down the track the men’s players are available to play in the BBL,” he continued.
Last season BBL has attracted huge crowds to the grounds and have been a hit as the international fixtures were against New Zealand and weakened West Indies side.
“I think if the cricket is good quality, whether international or domestic, then people will be interested and want to watch it. Clearly last summer’s international schedule was not up to the quality of other summers. But South Africa are coming this summer, so I think there will be plenty to keep people entertained in all the formats,” he said.
Gilly , who is a popular commentator of BBL has spoken about the evolution the game in the recent past as it is making huge strides in popularity and technology.
“It was always going to grow once it hit free-to-air television, no matter who was going to be the broadcaster,” he said. “Simply more people can see it when it’s on free-to-air. The fans just love it, but the players have really become engaged and can take credit for the type of fan engagement the Big Bash is getting.
“It just seems the last three years has gotten bigger each year for the BBL,” he added. “Last year seemed to really be the breakthrough. I think the addition of the WBBL created a greater awareness and focus on T20 cricket. I really do think it has cemented itself in the sports summer fabric of Australia.”
