The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ordered the participation of players in domestic cricket as there are players who have been missing time off the field and are waiting for the Indian Premier League 2024 to begin, according to Cricbuzz. The BCCI has mandated that players participate in the Ranji Trophy for their respective state teams to instil discipline among them.

The message has been conveyed to all players but will not be applicable 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 must immediately report to their state teams to participate in the next round of Ranji Trophy matches, which begin on February 16.

BCCI forces out-of-action players to play domestic cricket

This move will affect players like Indian wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, who is currently preparing for the Indian Premier League and has taken a break from international cricket, will join his Jharkhand state team ahead of their match against Rajasthan. Ishan is currently training in Baroda.

As quoted by Cricbuzz, a BCCI official said: “Players cannot simply prioritize international cricket or the IPL. “They must be available for domestic cricket and fulfill their commitments to their respective state teams.”

Ishan Kishan has not played a single match for India since the South Africa tour and was ruled out of the T20I series against Afghanistan and the Test series against England. Ishan was part of India’s Test team against South Africa but withdrew from 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 does not know anything about Kishan’s return to the field and now he will return to the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians. India will not play any white-ball match before IPL 2024.

According to a report in The Telegraph, Ishan Kishan’s decision not to play is another source of dissatisfaction for the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee. It is anticipated that Kishan will be overlooked in favor of Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as Kishan is not among the players in line to be selected for the T20 World Cup squad.

Ishan Kishan has also not represented Jharkhand in the current edition of the Ranji Trophy. The Jharkhand State Cricket Association does not even 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 period, while Chahar’s career has been riddled with injuries.

In the current scenario, more than 2-3 players are fighting for a place in the Indian team and the selectors want to select the players based on their current performances rather than their previous forms. For the same reason any player who has been off the field for no reason should go out and play professional cricket.