'If you don’t have an IPL contract, your cricket career is virtually over' - Mandeep Singh opens up on cricketers retiring early
Mandeep last played in the IPL in 2023 for Kolkata Knight Riders.
The domestic circuit has been the traditional platform to showcase talent and skill for the cricketers. While some go on to have iconic careers there are still some players who struggle to find a place in the national side. Players like Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair are some examples who, despite their great performances in domestic cricket of late, have not been able to find a spot in the squad.
Another domestic star who has failed to find a place in the national team is Mandeep Singh who had debuted way back in 2016 but has only managed to play three T20Is for India. Though the 33-year-old batter is no longer on the radar of the selectors he is still delivering some incredible performances in domestic cricket.
While some players have given up on their chances of playing for India and retiring, the Punjab-born cricketer is performing consistently for Tripura and recently opened up on why some players are retiring early, citing the IPL to be one of the reasons for this.
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“I guess the IPL is a big factor. If you don’t have an IPL contract, your cricket career is virtually over. There are leagues for retired players where you can earn good money for 15-20-day tournaments. If you have played for India, you can easily make Rs 1 crore in a year. Maybe it is one of the reasons, or maybe the fire is not in them anymore,” Mandeep told The Indian Express.
Speaking of Mandeep Singh’s journey in the IPL, he has played for four franchises - the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS). The last IPL match he played was in 2023 representing KKR against DC.
His recent performances in domestic cricket have been good. He scored 407 runs at an average of 101.75 in the Ranji Trophy and 325 runs at an average of 54.16 in the six matches he has played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Tripura.
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