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Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Mohit Burman opened up the issue surrounding the availability of overseas players during the IPL. Burman urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and foreign cricket boards to ensure that marquee international players remain available for the entire tournament.
The BCCI imposes a strict two-year ban on overseas players who withdraw after the auction without a genuine injury reason. During IPL 2026, several Australian stars, including Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, missed parts of the season because of delayed board clearances and injury concerns.
Punjab Kings Co-Owner Opens Up on Overseas Player Availability Issue in IPL
Speaking to PTI, Mohit Burman discussed the major challenges created by packed international cricket schedules. He acknowledged that players must honor commitments to their national teams but emphasized the importance of clear communication once a player signs with a franchise.
“It is a sensitive issue because international cricket calendars are extremely crowded, and players also have commitments to their national boards. But ideally, when a player commits to a franchise, there should be as much clarity as possible around availability," Burman said.
“From a franchise perspective, planning becomes difficult when key players are unavailable for significant portions of the tournament despite being major auction investments."
“All Need to Align Schedules Better and Create Clearer Commitments” - Mohit Burman
Mohit Burman also highlighted the huge expectations attached to the IPL from fans across the world. Burman called for a more unified approach between cricket boards and franchises, urging all stakeholders to coordinate schedules better and avoid repeated availability issues.
“Fans also expect to see marquee players from the start of the season. At the same time, solutions have to come through collaboration rather than confrontation. The BCCI, franchises, players and international boards all need to align schedules better and create clearer commitments.”
The current system often creates difficult situations for franchises that depend heavily on overseas stars. During IPL 2026, Cricket Australia allowed Mitchell Starc to join only during the second half of the season, which affected Delhi Capitals early in the campaign.
“Very Little That We Can Do” - Delhi Capitals Head Coach Hemang Badani
Earlier, Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani shared similar frustrations. The coach admitted that franchises have very limited control when national cricket boards delay the release of overseas players, even when those players are crucial to the team’s plans.
“Ideally, I would want my players to be available to me from day one. But if there are certain things decided by associations and governing bodies, there’s very little that we can do. Because if Cricket Australia does not release him, which was also the case with Hazlewood, also the case with Pat Cummins, there’s little a coach or any franchise can do about that. Hopefully, we have a solution to it in the future.”
The delayed arrival of Mitchell Starc significantly affected Delhi Capitals’ campaign. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood also missed the early part of IPL 2026 while recovering from minor injuries for their respective franchises.
Also read: “Release” - Aaron Finch gives blunt verdict on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Cameron Green amid IPL 2026
