BCCI to review policy on retired players’ participation in overseas franchise leagues

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to review is existing policy on participation of retired players in the overseas franchise leagues.

(File photo) Logo of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. | Photo Credit: AFP

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to review is existing policy on participation of retired players in the overseas franchise leagues.

When the Board’s Apex Council meets on July 7, it is going to discuss the matter and take a decision on the road ahead. As per the existing policy, any cricketer, who is contracted with the Board, is allowed to feature in overseas T20 leagues only after retiring from all formats of the game, including the IPL.

But according to the agenda of the Apex Council meeting, which Sportstar has seen, the members of the Board want to deliberate on the future course of action and review it’s stand on the T20 leagues.

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With the emergence of several leagues, there’s an anticipation that more and more players, who are not in the India reckoning, could announce early retirement and feature in those leagues. Though time and again, the Board has maintained it’s stand on the issue, it is expected that it could take up some stricter measures.

Sources indicate that there’s a possibility of implementing a cooling off period so that the players cannot straightaway feature in a franchise league after retirement.

A No Objection Certificate from the board could also be made compulsory if the players want to be involved in any capacity in Indian cricket.

A lot of India internationals feature in overseas tournaments after retirement, the recent being Ambati Rayudu, who is now part of a T20 league in the US.

Asian Games and the road ahead

Among the other agendas of the meeting, Indian cricket team’s participation in the 2022 Asian Games will be discussed.

After initial reluctance, the BCCI has decided to send both men’s and women’s teams for the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou in September-October. Since the men’s competition will coincide with the preparation for the ODI World Cup, it is believed that a second team could be sent, whereas a full-strength women’s team will travel to China for the Asian Games.

The Indian team had not featured in 2014 Asian Games when cricket was was last staged event.

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Among other agendas, the Apex council will also decide the roadmap for upgrading stadiums for the ODI World Cup at home, and now that the BCCI is without a broadcaster for the home season, that issue will also be discussed and efforts will be taken to sort out the issue by August.

The men’s team shirt did not have any sponsor’s logo during the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month after the premature exit of BYJU’s and that’s also part of the agenda, along with finalising the playing conditions for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.