Former Australia captain Allan Border believes the participation of Indian players in the Big Bash League would enhance the tournament’s stature.
“The Big Bash League is a fabulous product, but it would be great to see a sprinkling of Indian players in the competition,” Mr. Border wrote in ‘The Daily Telegraph’.
“While I am a big fan of the Big Bash in its current format, having some Indians and a few more international players from other countries would really lift it to the next level. No Big Bash franchise has ever signed an Indian player because the Indian Board is extremely protective of the Indian Premier League,” he said.
“Many Indian players are effectively prohibited from playing in the Big Bash and they would not want to anger their powerful board. Tying to get an Indian player released to play in the Big Bash seems almost impossible.”
Border said Cricket Australia can play a big role in this by approaching the BCCI for the release of Indian players as that would bring in more international talent to the event.
“Maybe it is time for Cricket Australia to go to work behind the scenes and see if there can be some deal done to get a few Indians in the Big Bash. That would certainly help the status of the competition and also encourage more overseas players to be a part of it,” he said.
“The issue of the availability of Australian and international players is a tough one but I think that to make the Big Bash really flourish we need to encourage a few more internationals and hopefully get the Aussie stars on deck occasionally.”
