BCCI Unsure About Allowing Under-19 World Cup Players Enter Into IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Reports

As per reports in Indian Express, eight India U-19 World Cup players will have to wait for their opportunity to enter the IPL 2022 mega auction. The BCCI has set a rule where players who have played one first-class match or List A game can enroll in the auction. If they do not have any experience in playing first-class cricket, they should turn at least 19 to be eligible to be a part of the auction.

This rule by the BCCI will see the likes of Dinesh Bana, Shaik Rasheed, left-arm pacer Ravi Kumar, all-rounders Nishant Sindhu and Siddarth Yadav, opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manav Parakh and Garv Sangwan getting ruled out from being a part of the auction.

Players like Rasheed, Bana, Kumar and Sindhu made a big impact in India’s U-19 World Cup campaign in West Indies.

355 Uncapped Players Registered For IPL 2022 Mega Auction

The IPL 2022 mega auction saw a total of 590 players getting shortlisted. Amongst the players registered for the auction are 228 capped players, 355 uncapped ones and seven from Associate Nations.

“It’s unfortunate that these boys weren’t able to play List A tournaments as U-19 and List A games were played simultaneously. One season, there was no cricket at all due to the pandemic.

“I feel the BCCI should consider this as a special case and the players should not lose out because of this (stipulation). The team has done really well and they should not be deprived of the opportunity,” veteran BCCI administrator Ratnakar Shetty said.

The BCCI conducted its U-19 tournament, Challengers Series and Asia Cup simultaneously with men’s domestic cricket. However, the current U-19 payers could not be a part of those tournaments because they were playing the World Cup in West Indies.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah congratulated the India U-19 team after their fifth World Cup title and said there are various avenues for the development of the young players in the future. The players who will not be a part of the auctions will have to wait for one more year, possibly two more for players who are aged 17 as of now.

“India is the most successful side in the history of U-19 World Cups and the fifth title is a testament to the robust system and structure we have in place for our age-group cricketers.

“The Board takes age-group cricket very seriously and works closely to ensure we remain fluid with our approach to suit the demands of the team amidst the pandemic.”

The IPL 2022 mega auction will be held on February 12-13 In Bengaluru. The auction will be broadcasted live on Star Sports from 11 am onwards.

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