IPL was aimed at developing youngsters, and it does that job. However, a good number of seats are reserved for stars who no longer twinkle brightly
In 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was established with the idea of developing cricket at the grassroots level—finding players from the gullies and giving them a platform to showcase their talent. And people can say that no matter what about IPL or T20 ruining cricket, the tournament has helped Indian cricket grow.
Since 2008, several players have become legends in Indian cricket – all products of the IPL. Even in 2025, there’s no dearth of new faces who probably will become a legend of Indian cricket in the near future. However, there are also several old faces among the plethora of new faces.
IPL franchises seem so driven by nostalgia that they simply cannot think of letting some of the old chaps go. But nostalgia and blind loyalty come with a cost.
Teams are forced to spend a huge amount of money on old superstars who no longer twinkle brightly—at times, they do, but the consistency is gone. The money spent on such players definitely affects the teams when they sit at the auction tables.
Teams also fail to bring in backups because the old superstars in question are never dropped from the team, so what is the point of getting a backup player with similar traits?
A player with similar traits will never get enough time in the playing XI and only warm the bench – in short, an investment without much return.
Take the example of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Nobody doubts Dhoni’s capability, and India should not forget his legacy and contribution to Indian cricket. However, if we look at his stats in 2025, the 43-year-old has only scored 130 runs in seven matches. The game against Lucknow Supergiants, in which Dhoni scored 26 off 11 balls, gave fans a glimpse of his yesteryear as a finisher.
However, it feels like the Yellow Army now only cares about a few shots from Mahi’s willow instead of focusing more on the trophy. And the management? For them, MS Dhoni is a crowd puller, a revenue generator, the one who brings all the sponsor sharks to the CSK table.
Dhoni isn’t the only one – Rohit Sharma is equally struggling with the bat, but the Mumbai Indians still have high hopes for him.
Dhoni and Sharma aren’t the only old chaps. There are several others who are given a place in the team, but in reality, every team has several young talents in the line-up to win them matches.
India and Indian cricketers have always been worshipped, and the superstar culture is strongly upheld. However, the need of the hour is stabilisation, which will set the ice when teams finally let go of some of the big names.
2025 is the season when teams should look at opening a new chapter and setting the tone for the tournament’s future. We are already witnessing a shift with two relatively new teams, Lucknow Supergiants and Gujarat Titans, at the top, along with Delhi Capitals, who, after years of struggle, have found the rhythm to be a top contender.
This gradual shift will only increase when the IPL flushes the superstars to make way for new talent in the playing XI – all new players, completely different teams and a shuffle in the IPL table.
