Even IPL base salaries for players are more than their winnings
Even IPL base salaries for players are more than their winnings: Zimbabwe is slowly getting back into international cricket after being banned in 2019. Winning the T20 World Cup qualifiers was a big step in the right direction. Zimbabwe has been playing cricket a lot this year, and beating Bangladesh would have been a very happy event for everyone involved, not just the players and support staff, but for Zimbabwean cricket in general.
Zim vs. Ind: What’s the Update?
Zimbabwe may have already lost the series to India, but they hope to end it on a high note before their historic tour of Australia and the T20 World Cup in 2022. So far in the series, Zimbabwe has shown promise with the bat in the first game and the ball in the second game, but India has been too strong for them.
What Ravi Ashwin thinks
Ravichandran Ashwin, an off-spinner, used the Indian Premier League (IPL) to explain the difference between India and Zimbabwe. He mentioned that the base price of a player in IPL is more than the prize money in Zimbabwe’s local league.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said, “Read an amazing article on the world cricket scenario. It says that wherever there is more money, employment opportunities are better, and there are better chances of players flourishing. For example, India has sent a 15-member squad to Zimbabwe. Washington Sundar got injured, and Shahbaz Ahmed has been sent as a last-minute replacement.”
“Shahbaz Ahmed is sitting on a good contract at RCB. I don’t know his exact salary details, but he must be definitely earning in crores. On the other hand, the entire prize money of Zimbabwe’s T20 league, which is called the National Premier League (NPL) is $10,000 (₹8.50 lakh). Even the base price of Indian players for the IPL is more than ₹8.5 lakh,” added Ashwin.
Ashwin said that things are looking up for Zimbabwe now that they have a new government and that doing well against top countries will only help them move forward. He called this a “resurgence.”
“At one point in time, Zimbabwe were unable to pay salaries to their players. But after the new administration took over, they cleared past dues. There has been some kind of resurgence in Zimbabwe cricket. So, if Zimbabwe does well in this series, they will get accolades, and it will be good for their cricket,” he added.
Last year, Zimbabwe didn’t qualify for the T20 World Cup, but since they did this year, the Men in Red will try to get to the next round. In the first round, Zimbabwe is in Group B, which also has the West Indies and Scotland.