Disciplinary Action By BCCI
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2024-02-29 08:32:08
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
It is surprising that after repeated warnings by the BCCI, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan continued to be unavailable for Ranji Trophy matches for their respective states. The BCCI had clearly said that those players who were not in the team and not playing in Ranji Trophy would not be considered for selection. Iyer said that he was 'injured' but the BCCI did not confirm it. Kishan has been out due to 'personal reasons' but was spotted training with Hardik Pandya in Baroda. The result is that the BCCI has cracked the whip and omitted both of them from the central contracts announced on Wednesday. Also omitted were Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Although no reason was given for dropping Iyer and Kishan (of the others, Dhawan and Yadav have clearly reached the end of their careers while Pujara and Chahal can still bounce back), it is understood that it is part of strict disciplinary action against erring players to set an example for others. From now on, no one can take central contracts, which provide a handsome retainer fee (over and above match fees) to deserving players, for granted and will have to play in national tournaments.
Top players are earning fabulously but that does not mean they can ignore national tournaments unless expressly allowed by the BCCI, either to manage workload or prevent injuries. The BCCI is concerned that standards are dropping in the Ranji Trophy. It needs to be recognized that India's bench strength in red-ball cricket is strong due to the talent that is discovered in national tournaments. It also helps players to get back into the groove after a layoff and allows selectors to assess their current form. Hence, players should not avoid playing in such tournaments.
