BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that the selection panel cannot choose the India T20 World Cup 2024 only on the performances of players in the IPL 2024. Shah's revelation came during the present Indian Premier League (IPL) when various players demonstrated their abilities on the big platform.
However, the BCCI secretary highlighted that the World Cup squad cannot be chosen only based on IPL achievements.
"The selectors can't choose based on IPL performance alone, as overseas experience is also necessary," he said in an exclusive interview with the Times of India.
Shah expressed optimism about India's chances at the T20 World Cup, saying, "We did well at the last ICC Men's World Cup 2023, but the final victory eluded us. I am optimistic that we will bring home the T20 World Cup trophy this year.”
When asked about potential contenders, Shah chose India, Australia, New Zealand, and the host nation, West Indies, as the teams to watch out for, citing their experience in the shortest format of the game.
"India, Australia, New Zealand and the hosts, West Indies, because they are good in T20," Shah further added.
Shah said the biggest achievement of his tenure so far was holding the 2020 IPL in UAE amid Covid-19.
"My biggest achievement in my tenure was holding the 2020 IPL in UAE amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Olympics, English Premier League, and French Open had already been postponed/canceled. We created an isolation bubble within which we conducted the tournament. We demonstrated to the world what BCCI could achieve," he said.
Jay Shah also talked about BCCI’s talent spotting, especially when asked about how Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh were given platforms to showcase their talents.
India to face Bangladesh as ICC releases schedule for T20 World Cup 2024 warmup matches
“Yes, talents like Yashaswi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh were test cases for BCCI. We empower state associations and give them guidelines to develop infrastructure, and we are searching for talent in all states. If they feel someone can do well for India, we recruit them to NCA. Right now, we have a pool of 50 players. So, if we need to play bilateral cricket with three different countries, we are in a position to do that. In NCA we train them to have all-round development, including helping them in personality development and wealth management,” he said.
On criticism of the impact player rule in IPL 2024, Jay Shah said: “It's a test case. We are consulting players, franchisees, and all concerned. I feel the matches are getting more interesting, more Indian players are getting a chance to play. If our consultations reveal dissatisfaction, we will change it.”
Jay Shah also highlighted the various ways BCCI uses its money.
He said: “A large proportion is pumped into state associations to improve their infrastructure and facilities. The major stream of revenues for BCCI is media rights and sponsorship of BCCI and IPL. In the case of IPL, the additional stream is a franchise fee from IPL teams. Of the revenues that BCCI generates, 70% is given to state associations for grassroots programs, development of Infrastructure, and conducting various tournaments across age groups, junior and senior levels to tap the talent across the length and breadth of the country.
Then 26% of revenues are utilized for payment to players by way of retainership and match fees to men's international players, women's international players, and domestic players. In the case of IPL, the revenues are split 50:50 between BCCI and the 10 franchises, while 70% of the franchise fee received by BCCI is also given to the associations.”
(Times Of India Inputs)
