"No Indian Player can participate in an overseas league unless he is retired from all forms of cricket including IPL": BCCI

No Indian player, contracted or retired and playing in IPL, will be allowed by the BCCI to feature in the two upcoming T20 leagues of South Africa and UAE. No one playing in the IPL would be even allowed to be a mentor in these overseas leagues.

Also Read: CSA T20 League: Six IPL franchises buy teams as Graeme Smith appointed commissioner

Or in other words, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) can't use its icon player MS Dhoni even in a mentorship role for its team in SA T20 League as he is still playing for CSK in IPL.

"It's clear, no Indian player including domestic players can take part in any other league until he is retired from all forms of the game. If any player wants to take part in these upcoming leagues he can only do so when he cuts off all ties with the BCCI."

a BCCI official told The Indian Express

When asked if a player like Dhoni can be part of such a league as a mentor or as a coach, the BCCI official said, "Then he can't play IPL for CSK. He has to retire here first."

In 2019, Dinesh Karthik had to issue an unconditional apology for violating a clause of his central contract by watching a Caribbean Premier League match from Trinbago Knight Riders' dressing room. As per the central contract, Karthik should have taken permission from the BCCI before attending the match.

Read Also: UAE T20 League: Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi can sign up to 4 players from existing IPL teams

In his reply, Karthik wrote that he had gone to the dressing room at the request of KKR's coach Brendon McCullum. Meanwhile, he stated that he watched the game wearing the TKR jersey on McCullum's insistence.

Six IPL owners have bought teams in the South Africa T20 League

Six Indian Premier League (IPL) owners have bought teams in the South Africa T20 League.

In a press release, Cricket South Africa stated that the owners of Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, Rajasthan, and Delhi franchises from the IPL. They now own the South Africa T20 teams from Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), Johannesburg, Paarl, and Pretoria respectively.

Also Read: CSA T20 League: Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone in top salary bracket as 30 overseas players signed

The UAE T20 league already boasted five out of the six franchises. Moreover, three Indian owners have teams in the IPL. Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata Knight Riders have invested in UAE T20 League. Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, and Rajasthan Royals owners had already invested in the Caribbean Premier League before.

Recently, former Australian captain, Adam Gilchrist wondered why Indians weren't allowed to play in foreign leagues.

"I'm not criticizing the IPL, but why won't Indian players come and play in the Big Bash league? I've never had an open and honest answer: Why are some leagues accessing every player in the world? No Indian player plays in any other T20 league," he had said.