BCCI makes participation of out-of-action players mandatory in next Ranji Trophy round - Reports

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has mandated the participation of players in domestic cricket as there are players who have been wasting their time off the field and are waiting for the Indian Premier League 2024 to start, as per Cricbuzz. The BCCI has mandated that the players participate in the Ranji Trophy for their respective state teams to instill discipline among them.

The message has been conveyed to all the players but it will not be applicable to the players who are currently part of the national squad or are going through their rehabilitation period at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Players, who are out of action must report to their state teams immediately to participate in the next round of Ranji Trophy matches, which begin on February 16.

BCCI makes it compulsory for out-of-action players to play domestic cricket

This measure will be impacting players such as Indian keeper Ishan Kishan who is currently preparing for the Indian Premier League, and has taken a break from international cricket, shall join his state team Jharkhand ahead of their match against Rajasthan. Ishan is currently training in Baroda.

As quoted by Cricbuzz, a BCCI official said, “Players cannot simply prioritize international cricket or the IPL. They must make themselves available for domestic cricket and honour their commitments to their respective state teams.”

Ishan Kishan has not played a single match for India since the South Africa tour and opted out from the T20I series against Afghanistan and the Test series against England. Ishan was part of India’s Test side against South Africa but pulled out of the series due to personal reasons.

There are speculations and rumors that the Indian selectors have started to look beyond Ishan Kishan for the upcoming series and tournaments. The BCCI is in darkness regarding Kishan’s return to the field and shall now come back in the Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians. India won’t be playing any white-ball games ahead of the IPL 2024.

As per a report by The Telegraph, Ishan Kishan’s decision to not play is another source of dissatisfaction for the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee. It is anticipated that Kishan will be overlooked in favor of Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as Kishan is not among the players in line to be selected for the T20 World Cup squad.

Ishan Kishan has also not represented Jharkhand in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association doesn’t even know when the left-handed Indian opener will make himself available for the rest of the Ranji Trophy season.

Apart from Ishan Kishan, players such as Deepak Chahar and Krunal Pandya are also not playing for their state team. Krunal has been out of the Indian team for a long period whereas Chahar’s career has been full of injuries.

In the current scenario, more than 2 to 3 players are battling for one spot in the India team and the selectors want to to pick up the players based on their current performances rather than their previous forms. Due to the same reason every player who has been away from the field without any reason must go out and play professional cricket.