Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan set to lose central contracts for not playing domestic cricket: Report

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are reportedly in danger of losing their central contracts for not playing in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. While Ishan Kishan has not played a competitive game since November last year, Shreyas Iyer recently played in the second Test against England before being dropped for the final three Tests of the ongoing series.

The BCCI recently issued a directive to the players, telling them that playing domestic cricket is mandatory when they are not a part of the Indian team or are injured. The BCCI’s directive came in the wake of several players’ decision to skip Ranji games and train privately.

In a letter written to the players by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, he stated: “However, there is a trend that has started to emerge and is a cause for concern. Some players have begun prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport.

“Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical yardstick for selection, and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications,” he added in the letter, as per a report in ESPNcricinfo.

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Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan to lose central contracts”

With neither Shreyas Iyer nor Ishan Kishan paying much heed to BCCI’s warning, both of them could face severe repercussions. According to a report in the Times of India, both the batsmen are likely to lose their central contracts when the BCCI announces the list, which is likely to be soon.

The report stated that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has almost finalized the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season and the BCCI will make the list public soon. Both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer are likely to be excluded from the list for not playing domestic cricket.

Ishan Kishan has not returned to action since taking a break from the game before the Test series in South Africa. He has been practicing with his Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda and decided against playing for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy.

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer did not participate in Mumbai’s ongoing Ranji quarterfinal clash against Baroda despite not being a part of the India squad. The batsman pulled out of the game citing a back injury although Nitin Patel, the head of sports science and medicine at the National Cricket Academy, informed the BCCI and the selectors that the batsman was fit.

”Patel’s email to the BCCI was written after the second Test against England. Since then, a back problem has bothered Iyer,” a source close to the batsman said.

“Iyer was one of India’s top performing batsmen in the ODI World Cup in India last year. He won’t lose the contract just because he missed the odd Ranji match,” he added.

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