Virender Sehwag acknowledges jealousy in response to Graeme Smith's criticism of ILT20: 'I can empathize with his perspective...'

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has responded to Graeme Smith's criticism of the IPLT20, suggesting that Smith may be feeling envious of the success of the Indian Premier League. Smith, who currently serves as the commissioner of the SA20 league, recently expressed his belief that leagues like the IPLT20 prioritize established players over nurturing young talent, a philosophy he believes sets the SA20 apart.

The third edition of the ILT20 gets underway Wednesday, with six teams featuring some of the renowned names in cricket. "We see ourselves as very different to the ILT20. We're a South African league, with a majority of South African players, and our ultimate goal is to benefit South African players," he said at the captain's day press conference in Cape Town.

"We've been built up against ILT20, so it's very difficult for me to not come across like I'm bad-mouthing them, but I do feel like a league like that is not good for the game; that there's that many international players required to build a team; there's no investment back into local cricket. That is a challenge for the world game and something that needs to be managed going forward."

What Sehwag said

Reacting to Smith's comments, Sehwag felt he understood Smith's pain of not getting too many international players for the SA20. However, they have enough star power and a substantial amount of emerging talent. The likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Dinesh Karthik are already playing the third season of the league across South Africa, which has been further bolstered by the presence of Trent Boult, Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson.

"I sense jealousy there because we have a plethora of international stars coming in, whereas their league is starved of such international players. I can understand his [Smith's] pain, but this is even better for the ILT20. You get to see established players here along with some local UAE talent who are rubbing shoulders with legends and experienced pros," Sehwag said while talking to Snitch YouTube channel.

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