Gavaskar, Kumble, Dravid earned a lot lesser than players today but had hunger to perform, says Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that although former Indian players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Anil Kumble, and Rahul Dravid did not make as much money as the current Indian players do, they had the hunger to perform. He explained that money cannot be associated with a player’s performance.

Ganguly opined that players do not only play for money but also for their stature and the pride of representing India. The former India captain’s comments came after the media rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) were sold for a record amount, fetching the BCCI a hefty INR 48,390 crore.

“First thing first, money can’t be related to performances. From the times of Sunil Gavaskar to Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, the money was nowhere close to what the players get now,” said Ganguly. “But all of them had the hunger to perform.”

Planning for the media rights started two years ago: Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly spoke about completing the domestic season, having packed stadiums, and conducting a successful IPL, prior to securing this mega IPL deal, adding that it has been a great year for Indian cricket so far. He also congratulated members who played a part in sealing the deal. 

“The planning for the media rights started two years ago. It was meticulously done. It has been a great year for Indian cricket so far. We have completed the domestic season, have got packed houses back in stadiums, the IPL was wonderfully conducted, and now this mega-deal,” the BCCI president told the Times of India.

Speaking about pushing for a bigger window for the IPL, the former India batter said that competition would continue to be the way it is for the next two years. He added that the international bilateral series would continue for the rest of the world to generate revenue.

“Bilateral tours will continue. The IPL is an Indian tournament. Bilateral tours are for the rest of the world to generate revenue,” said the 49-year-old. “Players from other countries need bilateral series. For the next two years, IPL will continue to have 74 matches.”