Veteran spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin of India made a significant comment on the Indian Premier League when he said that there are moments when he questions if the IPL is a legitimate form of cricket. Ashwin said this in reference to the major tournament's enormous expansion since its debut in 2008. This season, Ashwin, who has participated in the IPL for 17 seasons, is playing for Rajasthan Royals. While playing for Chennai, Ashwin won the IPL twice in 2010 and 2011.
In an interview with former cricketers Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist for the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Ashwin said he occasionally questions if the Indian Premier League is really cricket, noting that players often practice for commercials. In 199 IPL games, Ashwin has amassed 743 runs and claimed 172 wickets. He bowls at an economy of 7.02 while averaging 28.77 with the ball.
“As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that, having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge. Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It's so huge. We do end up practising in advertisement shoots and sets! That's where the IPL has gotten to,”
~said Ashwin.
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