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Amid Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar turning a blind eye to the ongoing Ranji Trophy season despite requests from BCCI officials, board secretary Jay Shah warned centrally contracted Indian players that they do not prioritize the Indian Premier League (IPL) over domestic cricket. Apart from warning players that ignoring domestic cricket could have “serious implications”, Shah expressed concern over the current trend.
In a letter written to players earlier this week, which ESPNCricinfo Accessing, Shah mentioned the success of IPL over the years and how domestic cricket has played a key role in shaping Indian cricket.
He wrote: “However, a trend has started to emerge which is a cause for concern. Some players have started prioritizing the IPL over domestic cricket, a change that was not expected. Domestic cricket has always been the basis on which sustains India Cricket remains and has never been undervalued in our view of the sport.
“It is essential to recognize that domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket and serves as a feeder line for the Indian team. Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the beginning: every cricketer who aspires to play for the India must prove itself in domestic cricket. “Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical criterion for selection and non-participation in domestic cricket will have serious implications.”
The letter once again brings to light the Ishan Kishan fiasco, where the wicketkeeper-batsman has been reluctant to participate in any of the Ranji Trophy games for Jharkhand this season. Ishan last played for India in November, in a T20I match against Australia at home earlier. He reportedly took a mental health break during the South Africa tour. The 25-year-old later trained in Baroda along with newly appointed Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya amid repeated requests from BCCI officials to participate in the domestic first-class competition.
Iyer, who is on a B-grade BCCI contract, was dropped from the last three matches against England after a poor run of form. He played in the first league round of the Ranji Trophy season before the Test series against England, but did not play in the final league match of the tournament. Chahar, on the other hand, played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy late last year but did not feature in any of the Ranji Trophy games for Rajasthan.