File image of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers together© BCCI/IPL
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not allow Indian players to participate in overseas T20 competitions and that will not change for the foreseeable future. De Villiers sees much merit in BCCI’s position. “I would love to see it happen, but you don’t see Indian players being released for competitions around the world. So I don’t know if that will ever change. And rightly so. I mean, the BCCI has a very clear plan with the players, they want to win World Cups,” said AB de Villiers.
“They want to make sure the players get the attention they need and of course there’s no better league than the IPL. Once some leagues knock on their door you never know.”
De Villiers is part of the SA20 commentary panel. The inaugural competition has taken an eight-day break to accommodate the ODI series between hosts South Africa and England, highlighting the scheduling challenges facing boards.
“I don’t think it’s (pause) ideal to be honest. So hard to get the schedule right and keep everyone happy. We want countries to compete against each other. It’s the ultimate form of viewers, but with all these leagues the excitement is there and it is financially healthy.
“It’s very difficult for the ICC and everyone to make sure the planning benefits everyone. I honestly don’t know what the answer is,” de Villiers said.
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