BCCI central contracts on the line for Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer due to their failure to heed Jay Shah’s Ranji Trophy warning.

Emerging cricketers Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer find themselves on shaky ground, facing potential exclusion from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) central contracts due to their continued disregard for the board’s directive on prioritizing domestic cricket.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had issued a stern warning last week to centrally-contracted players, emphasizing the importance of participating in domestic tournaments over the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite this, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, and Deepak Chahar have shown reluctance to take part in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, inviting the possibility of “severe implications.”

A recent report from The Times of India suggests that the BCCI’s selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has already compiled the list of centrally contracted players for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Notably absent from this list are the names of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, signaling potential repercussions for their failure to comply with the board’s directives.

An insider revealed, “Kishan and Iyer are likely to be excluded from that list, as both haven’t been playing domestic cricket despite the BCCI’s diktat to do so.”

Ishan Kishan’s last appearance for India dates back to November 2023 in a T20I against Australia. Despite being expected to feature as a wicketkeeper during India’s tour of South Africa in December, he withdrew from the Test series, citing mental health reasons. With questions looming over his return to the national side, Kishan’s absence from Ranji Trophy games for Jharkhand has raised concerns, especially as he was spotted training for IPL 2024 with Mumbai Indians.

Shreyas Iyer, a vital middle-order batter, was notably absent from Mumbai’s recent league game and the quarterfinal match against Baroda, citing a reported back injury. However, an email from the National Cricket Academy’s head of sports science and medicine, Nitin Patel, contradicted Iyer’s claims, stating, “Shreyas Iyer was fit and available for selection… There are currently no fresh injuries reported after his departure from Team India.”

As the BCCI prepares to announce the centrally contracted players for the upcoming season, the exclusion of Kishan and Iyer serves as a cautionary tale, emphasizing the significance of adherence to BCCI’s guidelines for the nation’s aspiring cricketers.