BCCI has expressed strong displeasure over the exclusion of players like KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj from the upcoming Duleep Trophy.
The controversy over the key members of the Indian Test team not being selected for major domestic cricket tournaments continues to grow. Now The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed strong displeasure over the exclusion of top international players like KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj from the South Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy.
After this, the Board has officially written a letter to all the state associations asking them to give priority to the selection of centrally contracted players for this opening tournament of the domestic season.
Also Read: Ranji Trophy: Ajinkya Rahane steps down from Mumbai captaincy ahead of the new season
Many big names were not included
South Zone announced its team on July 27. Many big names like KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna and Sai Sudharsan were not included in it.
The Duleep Trophy, which begins in Bengaluru on August 28, is considered an important platform for domestic and national level talents. The board did not like the decision of the South Zone to not include these players in the team despite their availability during the off-season.
Abey Kuruvilla wrote the email
BCCI General Manager of Cricket Operations Abey Kuruvilla addressed the issue in an email sent to zonal coordinators and state units last week. According to the reports, Kuruvilla stressed the importance of ensuring the participation of all available Indian players to maintain the prestige and competitive level of the Duleep Trophy.
Kuruvilla wrote in the email, “To uphold its prestige and ensure the highest quality of competition, it’s imperative that all currently available India players are selected for their respective zonal teams. Requesting the Zonal Convenors to ensure that all the current India players who are available to play Duleep trophy should be picked.”
“All players, contracted or otherwise, who make themselves available for selection into Team India, shall participate in domestic matches conducted by BCCI,”
“In case any player opts not to participate in any domestic cricket tournaments in spite of availability, he/she shall not be considered for selection unless a prior recommendation is obtained to skip the match/tournament from the National coach and the chairman of the selection committee, and prior approval from the BCCI. In case any leave is granted, the same shall be considered on the basis of some valid and cogent reason.” the email said.
Instructions to give priority to domestic cricket
This directive is in line with the BCCI's policy of making participation of international players mandatory in domestic competitions. The board had previously warned players against giving priority to the IPL over first-class cricket and earlier this year reminded all contracted players to remain committed to the domestic calendar.
However, this instruction from BCCI has come after South Zone announced its team. It is still not clear whether the selectors will make any changes in their list or not. Tilak Verma was made the captain of the team.
Also Read: Duleep Trophy: Shardul Thakur to lead the West Zone; no Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the squad
Questions were raised on international players
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Shreyas Iyer among many other players are expected to participate in the tournament representing their respective regions.
The state associations have previously expressed concern that the automatic inclusion of Indian stars in the regional teams overlooks Ranji players who have performed consistently throughout the season.
Many have argued that matches such as India A tours and Board President's XI would be a more suitable platform for international players, leaving regional tournaments as a rewarding avenue for domestic players.
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