The New Zealand Cricket Players Association has criticised the Indian Premier League Player Auction process, calling it “undignified and cruel”.
“I think the whole system is archaic and deeply humiliating for the players, who are paraded like cattle for all the world to see,” Heath Mills, chief executive of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.
For the first time since its inception, cricket administrators from a country has hit out at the auction.
Mills came out in support of Peter Clinton, a former chief executive of Wellington Cricket, who tweeted: “The IPL Auction is such an undignified, cruel and unnecessary employment practice. Ridiculous that it exists today, belongs in the medieval ages.”
Mills has asked for a change in the system to facilitate greater engagement with players.
“There’s a lot of good things about the Indian Premier League and it’s been great for cricket, but I’d like to see it mirror the rest of professional sport in the way they engage athletes,” said Mills.
Some players do exceptionally well out of the auction, but the vast majority would like to see the system changed. They would like to negotiate with coaches and owners behind closed doorsHeath Mills, CEO, New Zealand Cricket Players Association
According to Mills, the auction system isn’t kind to the players as they feel helpless and have no control over their future and career.
Meanwhile, the IPL Governing Council is likely to discuss the feasibility of an alternate model to the auction for the future.
“Going forward, the thinking is that we will reduce, maybe not have mega auctions, but consider having a draft system for new players to come in, which acts as feeder system to teams. Hence, IPL Governing Council is thinking on the lines of how to cut down on the big auction and have the continuity with teams,” Hemang Amin, the IPL's chief operating officer, said at the end of the auction in Bengaluru last weekend.
The IPL auction of 2018 saw around 580 cricketers go under the hammer out of which only 169 were sold.
English all-rounder Ben Stokes was the most expensive player at this year’s auction, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.5 crore. India’s Jaydev Unadkat was the second most expensive and the highest Indian at Rs 11.5 crore. He was also picked up by Rajasthan.
24 New Zealand players were part of the 2018 IPL mega auctions, out of which, franchises picked only seven rest of them went unsold.
Brendon McCullum, Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Mitchell Santner (Chennai Super Kings), Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Colin Munro (Delhi Daredevils) were the seven cricketers from New Zealand who were bought by franchises in the auction.
(With input from PTI)
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