India's young players must be allowed to play in overseas T20 leagues, says Anil Kumble

Former India head coach Anil Kumble wants the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow young players to compete in various T20 leagues across the globe.

Since the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped so many overseas players, Kumble believes that the young Indian players should be allowed to gain exposure and experience before the 2024 World Cup to be held in the West Indies and the United States.

While the overseas players are welcomed to participate in the IPL, the BCCI does not allow its active Indian cricketers to feature in the foreign T20 leagues, as of now.

"I think exposure certainly helps. We have seen that with the kind of development that it has had on Indian cricket. For example, the IPL, where overseas players come in and the kind of changes we've had in Indian cricket has certainly helped," Kumble was quoted by ESPNcricinfo, as saying in an interview.

"In terms of giving an opportunity to a young player to go overseas and have a crack, then why not?" Kumble questioned.

"I think it's important that you need to have everything that you need to do that come 2024, you are well prepared to take on a World Cup event," the former India captain added further.

Kumble's comments came after India's humiliating exit from the T20 World Cup 2022. After winning four out of their five Super 12 games in the T20 World Cup 2022, India lost to England by 10 wickets in the semi-final of the tournament on Thursday at Adelaide Oval.

India have not won a World Cup since clinching the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Their last ICC title was back in 2013 when they lifted the Champions Trophy.

T20 World Cup: Team India can be called chokers, says Kapil Dev

Meanwhile, World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has said the Indian team can now be termed as chokers after their repeated failures in the ICC tournaments.

"Yes, we can call them chokers. That's okay. They come close and then choke. I agree, India played bad cricket, but we cannot be overly critical based on just one game," Kapil Dev said on a TV show after the match.

The former India captain also credited Jos Buttler's England for reading the pitch better and being the better side throughout the semi-final game. Kapil Dev also pointed out that the bowlers' performance was a let-down and they could have done much better in the powerplay to put pressure on the English openers despite India's below-par target of 169.

"England read the pitch better and played better cricket. We should not be too harsh on our players. These are the same guys who have brought laurels to the country. 168-170 is a good score. But if you don't bowl according to the pitch, then this is what is going to happen. It is very easy to say in hindsight, but look at the number of shorts balls they bowled," the former Indian skipper added.