Australia Cricketers Became 'Too Scared to Sledge Virat Kohli' to Save IPL Contracts: Michael Clarke

The lure of million-dollar IPL contracts has prevented Australian cricketers to be at their aggressive best against Virat Kohli‘s Indian cricket team, claims former captain Michael Clarke.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is regarded as the most powerful cricket body globally thanks to its financial might and that, Clarke feels, has led international teams sucking up to them.

“Everybody knows how powerful India are in regards to the financial part of the game, internationally or domestically with the IPL,” Clarke was quoted as saying by Fox Sports. “I feel that Australian cricket, and probably every other team over a little period, went the opposite and actually sucked up to India. They were too scared to sledge Kohli or the other Indian players because they had to play with them in April.”

Several Australian cricketers have mouthwatering deals with various IPL franchises with pacer Pat Cummins becoming the costliest overseas cricketer in the league’s history when he was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders last December for a record Rs 15.5 crore.

Clarke, who played six IPL matches for the defunct Pune Warriors India in 2012, says Aussie cricketers are wary of straining their personal relationship with Kohli.

“Name a list of ten players and they are bidding for these Australian players to get into their IPL team,” he said. “The players were like: ‘I’m not going to sledge Kohli, I want him to pick me for Bangalore so I can make my $1 million US for my six weeks’.”

Clarke, the 2015 World Cup winning captain, blames this change in attitude towards Australia becoming ‘soft’

“I feel like that’s where Australia went through that little phase where our cricket become a little bit softer or not as hard as we’re accustomed to seeing,” he said.