Gavaskar demanded to ban Green, recommended to BCCI
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Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has given further fuel to this issue. He has appealed to the BCCI to ban such players who are not fully fit or are not able to play their role. Gavaskar gave the example of Mitchell Marsh and Cooper Connolly and said that when players cannot bowl, they should not play in the IPL.
Sunil Gavaskar demands ban on Cameron Green in IPL
New Delhi. Kolkata Knight Riders have had a very disappointing start in IPL 2026. The team has not been able to open a winning account till now, but the surprising thing is that questions are not being raised on team management, strategy or captaincy. Ajinkya Rahane’s decisions are also less discussed – like choosing to bat first in a rain-affected match. Instead, the focus has shifted to one player—Cameron Green. But is Green really the root of KKR’s problems, or is he being targeted unnecessarily?
Green himself never demanded crores of rupees from the franchise. He had put his name in the auction at a base price of only Rs 2 crore, like other players did. Buying him for Rs 25.20 crore was completely the decision of the franchise, then how right is it to put the entire burden of criticism on him? The truth is that Green did not come into IPL 2026 with great form. Questions are also being raised about his place in the Australian team. He did not perform as expected in the Ashes and T20 World Cup. In such a situation, it was somewhat unrealistic to expect immediate success from him.
Why so much ruckus about bowling?
Green’s batting has definitely been a flop so far, getting out twice early and one run out. But the real controversy is about his bowling. KKR coach Abhishek Nair saw him as an alternative to Andre Russell, albeit in a different role. But the figures tell a different story. Green has bowled only 113.4 overs in 73 matches in his T20 career—an average of 1.5 overs per match. Whereas Russell has bowled around 1500 overs in 590 matches. It is clear that Green is not yet an all-rounder of the same level as Russell has been.
Gavaskar’s big statement and controversy.
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has given further fuel to this issue. He has appealed to the BCCI to ban such players who are not fully fit or are not able to play their role. Giving the examples of Mitchell Marsh and Cooper Connolly, Gavaskar said that when players cannot bowl, they should not play in the IPL. He believes that the franchise should get full commitment. He also said that if a player is not fit from the beginning, then he should step down himself so that the team can give a chance to someone else.
There are many reasons behind KKR’s poor start – strategy, team combination and performance of the players. But putting all the responsibility on Cameron Green is not only wrong, but also diverts attention from the real problems of the team. Green is not an all-rounder of that level yet, but that does not mean that the entire blame for the defeat should be placed on him.
