Sanjay Manjrekar Suggests Five Overseas Players in Playing XI if IPL Expands

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has suggested an interesting change that he wants the Indian Premier League to incorporate if the lucrative league expands, which is on the cards. Manjrekar feels there are plenty of Indian players and hence wants five overseas players in the playing XI of every team because many quality players are benched throughout the season. He felt even if five overseas players feature in the playing XI, there will still be ample opportunities for Indian players to flourish.

“If IPL is going with 10 teams then you got to have five foreign players per side. Despite that, you will have 10 Indian players playing in the XI. They are a lot of Indian players,” he said on ESPNCricinfo.

“When there was no IPL, T20, or 50-over cricket, only 13-14 players in the 70s or 80s played at the highest level and that’s where you got the cream of Indian players playing,” Manjrekar added.

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“You already have plenty of Indian players and it is a shame to see some quality foreign players sitting out only because they can’t play more than four. So even if we go five foreign players, plenty of Indian players will get the opportunity,” he further said.