MUMBAI: Former Team India regulars Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan have urged the BCCI to allow Indian cricketers without contracts to play in overseas Twenty20 leagues.
Not surprisingly, the “suggestion” got no traction within the BCCI. A BCCI official told India Today: “From the point of view of the board and the interests of Indian cricket (more like interests of the BCCI?), the intent is to ensure a system where the non-contracted players are able to command good value at the IPL auction. Exclusivity is the key. One usually finds these views emanating from those who can see the wall of retirement approaching and it’s only natural. That’s their view. It’s the luxury of having the freedom of a tunnel vision with a view to further their own interests and that’s absolutely fine.”
“Tunnel vision”? Interesting. And what does one make of the BCCI’s stance, which it needs noting exists nowhere else in the cricketing world, and operates with ZERO regard for players’ interests. Such truths, as they say, are of zero interest or consequence for the richest and most autocratic cricketing body in the world.
Coming back to Raina and Pathan’s comments, they were made during an Instagram Live chat between the former India team-mates. Raina said: “I hope the BCCI can get together with the ICC or with franchises and allow players who don’t have BCCI contracts to play in overseas leagues.
“I feel there are a lot of players, including Yusuf [Pathan], myself, Robin Uthappa – a lot of quality players who can go overseas and learn a lot, no matter which league it is. Allow us to play in two [overseas] leagues.”
The southpaw added: “We aren’t in the BCCI contracts list, some of us don’t have IPL contracts, we aren’t playing international cricket, and the competition in domestic cricket isn’t what it is at the international level. If we can get three months of quality cricket, whether it’s the CPL or the Big Bash [League] or any league, it can help us stay ready.
“Players from other countries are able to play in these leagues, and a lot of them have made international comebacks after doing well in them. We play the IPL, but if these people [the BCCI selectors] have a pool of 40-50 players, they think those outside it aren’t good enough or are past it, and neglect them. We don’t have a Plan B. If we go overseas and perform, our cricket will improve and we’ll get to learn a lot.”
Pathan was on the same page as Raina on the matter, saying: “I had offers from three leagues in my hand when I was approached for the Jammu and Kashmir team. The first one I won’t be taking their name, I had rejected them straightaway. The second was Carribean Premier League and I had their contract in my hands. Only thing was that I had to take permission and retire. The third was the T10 league. The only thing was that I had to announce my retirement and I was doing the rounds of the BCCI to understand what the rules were. But I felt there was no better offer than to serve Jammu and Kashmir cricket,” he said.
Pathan also spoke about the way Indian players will be helped if they are exposed to the cultures that exist in other countries through foreign leagues. He said that those players who are above the age of 30 and out of reckoning for international matches should be allowed to play outside the country.
“There is a different mindset in different countries. Michael Hussey made his debut at the age of 29 for Australia, an Indian player can never make his debut at the age of 30. I think as long as you are fit, you should be available to play for your country. I would suggest that all those players who are 30 years old and they are not on your radar to play international matches, you should allow them to play in foreign leagues,” he said.
The BCCI has not allowed active Indian players to take part in franchise leagues other than the IPL. Those that have done so – Virender Sehwag in the T10 League, Yuvraj Singh in Global T20 Canada – have only done so after announcing their retirements. Last year, Harbhajan Singh signed up for the draft of The Hundred but eventually pulled out in order to continue playing in the IPL.
