Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were excluded from the recent list of players who were awarded the central contracts by the BCCI. This news received mixed reactions from the cricket fraternity and the fans as well.
Their axing is being perceived as a message from the cricket governing body to players who may show reluctance to play in domestic cricket.
Ishan Kishan, who was on a mental health break, was asked to play domestic cricket to prepare for the Indian team. Instead, he preferred to practice in Baroda with the Pandya brothers than play for Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy. He recently made his cricketing return in the DY Patil T20 Cup.
Shreyas Iyer recently said that he was injured and missed a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai. However, according to a report in The Indian Express, the NCA report on him contradicted his claim.
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"Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations. The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team," the BCCI said in a release.
Meanwhile, a report in ESPNCricinfo, has stated that there is still a possibility of Iyer and Kishan being awarded the BCCI contracts.
"The selectors don't doubt their ability. But if the NCA is saying you are fit and you are not making yourself available for the Test series, how can the BCCI offer you a contract? After the IPL, if they happen to get selected and fulfil the criteria of the number of matches required for a pro-rata contract, they will be awarded a contract,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo.
As per BCCI rules, players who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis.
The period that is being implied is from October 1st, 2023 to September 30th, 2024.
