Controversy Erupts as Sourav Ganguly Declares IPL Title Harder to Win Than World Cup

Adding to their string of heartbreaks, Team India succumbed to a crushing 209-run defeat against Australia in the World Test Championship, prolonging their agonizing wait to clinch the coveted ICC trophy.

Notably, this marks the second consecutive time India has faltered in the WTC final, following their loss to New Zealand in the inaugural edition.

Following this defeat, fans have been vocal about India’s Premier League as a contributing factor to the team’s disappointing outing. Notably, the IPL 2023 final was held on the reserve day, May 29, providing the players with a mere week to prepare themselves for the marquee event.

Later in the post-match conference of WTC final, captain Rohit Sharma also pointed out that the team didn’t get enough time to prepare for the WTC final which could’ve made the difference in the high-stakes contest.

While fans and experts continue to criticize the IPL, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has made a surprising statement in support of the cash-rich league.

Ganguly stated that winning the IPL title is even tougher than winning the World Cup, citing the requirement of maintaining consistency throughout 14 matches to qualify for the knockouts, unlike the World Cup.

“Winning the IPL is even more difficult than winning the World Cup. You’ve to play 14 matches then Playoffs in the IPL whereas you qualify for Semis and then Final after 4-5 matches in the WC,” said Ganguly on Aaj Tak.

Here’s how fans reacted to his statement:

There were reports earlier that you had heart problem, seems like it’s brain 🧠 not heart. Dumbest possible statement we can expect from an Ex BCCI president. https://t.co/YQ16tkQPre

— Kishan JSP (@kishan_Janasena) June 12, 2023

I had to check if this was parody lol

You can win the IPL if you manage to win 10/17 games, but in the World Cup, two defeats in the group stage usually means you're knocked out. https://t.co/33x05Krh2u

— Arjun* (@mxtaverse) June 12, 2023

Directly qualifying for the World Cup is even more difficult than winning the World Cup. You have to win matches throughout the Super League to qualify whereas you qualify for semis and the final after just 4-5 matches in the WC. https://t.co/K9ERCPwith

— Ahmad Saleem (@Ahmad_Saleem) June 12, 2023

Mission "Indian team bachao" from Jay Shah & Co. https://t.co/UZqVSFbl5J

— Hades (@Russetlane) June 12, 2023

They just trying to Kill international cricket coz they ain’t winning anything jaise some people overthrow the ludo board coz they are losing https://t.co/3Kj2qufgH3

— Hass (@GokboruWolf) June 12, 2023

Mastered in both. Nothing, just bow down to the greatest of all time. https://t.co/bhrhMlinnk pic.twitter.com/MHylVKonCT

— ‘ (@Ashwin_tweetz) June 12, 2023

This is the beginning of the end, they are starting to loose their minds, it's difficult for them to digest that ICT is just a collection of chokers. https://t.co/vc4PIPwKTr

— KrishnaSevak. (@bekbekagain) June 12, 2023

Notably, players like Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, and Shubman Gill were part of the IPL final in 2023 and left India a mere week before the final encounter. The likes of R Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj reached the UK after their campaign in IPL 2023 came to an end.

Later, the head coach of team India, Rahul Dravid, expressed his discontent with the tightly packed schedule, which resulted in limited practice time. It will be interesting to see the steps taken by the BCCI addresses this issue.