Six state associations have approached BCCI president Sourav Ganguly asking him to reconsider the decision not to allow guest players from other states to play on their youth cricket teams. The BCCI had suspended the practice this season after using it for two years as they felt it was time for the associations to develop local talent without bringing in players from other states.
Until last season, in men’s cricket, the board had allowed three guest players at the under-23, under-19 and under-16 levels. In women’s cricket, they had allowed three guest players on under-19 and under-23 teams.
The associations have a counterargument to the BCCI motive. “Ours is a two-year-old team and the board wants us to compete with teams that have 80 years of history. The board should review its new rule because we need experienced hands to deal with match situations. Coaches can only guide from outside, but how can players cope in the middle during critical situations? We need some quality players who can guide the other players, ”said the Pondicherry Cricket Association (CAP) spokesperson.
The Indian Express understands that the state units of Pondicherry, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh have submitted their application, while the Sikkim Cricket Association will submit their official application after an Apex Council meeting on Monday. The board had granted full membership to nine new teams two years ago after an order from the Supreme Court.
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The CAP Under-23 team has qualified for the Elite Group of the CK Nayudu Trophy after entering the quarter-finals last season. However, the rationale for BCCI is that the presence of players from other states can hamper growth at the youth level.
“At the junior age, it is more important to develop junior cricketers. These state associations now receive subsidies to build infrastructure and prepare cricketers, ”a BCCI official told this newspaper. “We feel that two years is enough time to develop your teams. In the Northeast, there were few teams already playing cricket before full membership was given. It’s time for them to start building their own teams. ”
In a circular sent to all state associations last week, the director-general of the board (cricket operations), Saba Karim, had informed them of the decision. “No guest players will be allowed for the age group team. Guest players are only allowed in the team of older men and older women, “the communication said.
The decision has not gone well with the new teams that were formed two years ago following the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. Some state associations have spoken with Ganguly, who has assured them that he will investigate the matter.
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