IPL 2022: 'If you do match fixing you only lose,' Shoaib Akhtar says tournament demands 'responsibility' from players

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that the IPL has given players a way to be rich but also made them responsible for themselves.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped all players prosper financially but it also demands responsibility for their actions, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said. Shoaib, who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural season of the IPL, said that he had seen a time when only a few players made big money in India but the IPL has changed that.

Shoaib said that the IPL has helped every player prosper financially

“I saw an India where no one made money, then I saw an India where only Sachin (Tendulkar) made money and now I am seeing an India where everyone has money. And they have it with full responsibility,” Shoaib said on Sportskeeda.

“The tournament is also very demanding and it says that if you need the money, you have to be responsible and disciplined about the job both on and off the field. I think it's great that people are earning money and being responsible. If you are not focused and do match-fixing and stuff, then you are only losing things,” he further said.

The 2022 season of the IPL begins on Saturday with KKR facing Chennai Super Kings in a repeat of the 2021 final. The tournament's league stage will played entirely in Maharashtra, across three venues in Mumbai and one venue in Pune.

Shoaib was one of the few Pakistani players who have made appearances in the IPL. He famously grabbed four wickets for KKR in his debut match against the Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens. However, he only managed to play two more games after that in which he took one wicket.