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The ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) season is already full of drama, controversies and heated moments, but now legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has shared an old story that has shocked everyone.
The former Indian captain was part of the IPL Governing Council during the first three seasons of the league, and at that time, differences of opinion and ego clashes were a very common phenomenon.
Sunil Gavaskar reveals shocking IPL Governing Council drama amid IPL 2026
Recently, Sunil Gavaskar revealed that he was once scolded by an IPL official just because he tried to improve the IPL during the initial years of the tournament. When the Little Master was part of the IPL Governing Council, the tournament was still new, and he wanted to collect ideas from players and captains to make the league bigger and more exciting.
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Therefore, in his personal capacity, Gavaskar wrote to all the franchise captains and asked them to share suggestions on how the tournament can be further improved. Many captains responded to him, but one particular idea later changed the entire playoff system of IPL.
How Adam Gilchrist’s suggestion changed the history of IPL playoffs?
The great batsman revealed that former Australian captain Adam Gilchrist had suggested a format where the teams finishing first and second in the points table should get an extra chance to reach the final. That suggestion later became the famous qualifiers and eliminator system that the IPL still follows today.
Sunil Gavaskar, in his column for Mid-Day, wrote: “Most replied, and although there was no major suggestion, Adam Gilchrist’s recommendation to reward title-winning teams with qualifiers and eliminators was a novel suggestion.”
When Sunil Gavaskar was insulted by an IPL official
But instead of appreciating the effort, an IPL Governing Council member reportedly questioned Sunil Gavaskar for contacting captains without permission. This left the former Indian captain disappointed as he was only trying to help the IPL grow.
Gavaskar said, “I was chided by a member of the Governing Council, who asked on whose authority I had written to the franchise captains for their suggestions. I told him that I had written in my individual capacity as a former captain and player with the sole intention of seeing how we could make the IPL even better and did not need anyone’s permission to write them.”
Governing Council accepts the idea of playoffs
He also informed that the IPL Governing Council is free to accept or reject the suggestions. After all, they accepted the idea of the playoffs, and today it has become the biggest reason why teams work so hard to finish in the top two.
The cricket pundit said, “Now it was up to the Governing Council to accept it or not. They did and now it is something that every franchise tries to do. Finish in the top two so that they can get another piece of the cherry.”
Gavaskar also spoke about how former IPL officials treated the tournament like their child and now feel proud to see it become one of the biggest leagues in the world.
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