Some Indian players gave importance to IPL over playing for country – Kapil on India’s early exit

Kapil Dev has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to schedule the upcoming series in a better way as some players were more interested in the Indian Premier League rather than playing for the country.

Kapil Dev said players should have taken a break before they headed to the ICC T20 World Cup but the players put the cash-rich league over playing for the country.

India failed to make it to the semis of the tournament for the first time since 2012. India will take on Namibia in their final Super 12 match on Monday.

“When players prioritise IPL over playing for the country, we what can we say. Players should take pride in playing for their nation. I don’t know their financial conditions so can’t say much,” Kapil Dev told ABP News.

“But I feel that first in line should be the country’s team and then franchises. I’m not saying do not play cricket there (IPL), but the responsibility is now on the BCCI to plan its cricket better. To not repeat mistakes we committed in this tournament is the biggest learning for us,” he added.

Kapil wants the BCCI to groom players for the upcoming major tournaments.

“It’s time to look at the future. You should start planning right away. It’s not that since the World Cup is over, the Indian team’s entire cricket is too. Go and plan. I just feel that there should have been some gap between IPL and the World Cup. But this is certainly there that our players today have a lot of exposure but they could not make the most of it,” he added.