Although the English trio of Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and David Lloyd faced the most criticism amid the debate on India having had an advantage of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, it was Australia’s Pat Cummins who first sparked the discussion. His statement came amid India’s group-stage campaign last month. However, his teammate Mitchell Starc discarded the theory as he offered a fresh perspective to the debate.
Like the former English cricketers, Cummins claimed India “got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there (Dubai).” Aussie media also sided with the captain, who unfortunately missed the tournament due to an injury, saying there will always “be an asterisk” on India’s Champions Trophy title win.
However, Starc blasted the narrative as he reminded critics that BCCI’s rule bars Indian players from participating in overseas leagues, while cricketers worldwide can play in any league, which allows them to know all the conditions.
“I’m not sure it is an advantage per se because as cricketers we have got all the opportunities to play all franchises in the world, but the Indian guys can only play in the IPL. So, I don’t think you can sit on that because you have got guys who play across five to six different franchise leagues a year So, even they are getting the exposure to white-ball cricket,” Starc said on Fanatics TV.
Glenn Philips about the advantage for India playing in Dubai:
“We are not focussing on that, not going to be complaining – India have been dealt their hand, we have been dealt our hand, so we focus on that”. [Sahil Malhotra from TOI] pic.twitter.com/27VwTccrb3
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 1, 2025
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