BCCI's Latest Decision: Out-of-Action Players Must Participate in Next Ranji Trophy Round, Reports Say

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has mandated the participation of players in domestic cricket as there are players who waste their time off the field and are waiting for the start of the Indian Premier League 2024, according to media. The BCCI has mandated that players participate in the Ranji Trophy for their respective state teams to instill discipline among them.
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This message has been conveyed to all players but will not apply to players who are currently part of the national team or are undergoing their rehabilitation period at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Players who are out of action to participate in the next round of Ranji Trophy matches starting February 16 will have to report to their state teams immediately.

BCCI makes it mandatory for out-of-action players to play domestic cricket
The move will affect players like Indian keeper Ishan Kishan who is currently preparing for the Indian Premier League, and has taken a break from international cricket, joining his state team Jharkhand ahead of the match against Rajasthan. Ishaan is currently undergoing training in Baroda. Ishan Kishan has not played a single match for India since the tour of South Africa and has pulled out of the T20I series against Afghanistan and the Test series against England. Ishan was part of India's Test squad against South Africa but pulled out of the series due to personal reasons.

There are speculations and rumors that the Indian selectors have started looking beyond Ishan Kishan for the upcoming series and tournaments. The BCCI is in the dark over Kishan's return to the field and will now return to the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians. India will not play any white ball games before IPL 2024.

As reported by The Telegraph, Ishan Kishan's decision not to play is another source of discontent for the Indian selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar. It is expected that Kishan will be overlooked in favor of Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as Kishan is not among the players to be picked in the T20 World Cup squad.

Ishan Kishan has not represented Jharkhand in the ongoing edition of the Ranji Trophy either. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association also does not know when the left-handed Indian opener will be available for the rest of the Ranji Trophy season.

Apart from Ishan Kishan, players like Deepak Chahar and Krunal Pandya are also not playing for their state team. Krunal has been out of the Indian team for a long time while Chahar's career has been plagued by injuries.

In the current scenario, more than 2 to 3 players are fighting for a spot in the Indian team and selectors want to pick players based on their current performance rather than their previous form. For the same reason every player who is absent from the field without any reason has to go out and play professional cricket.