India's attacking wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan's continued absence from the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023-24 has been in the headlines for all the wrong seasons. While the head coach Rahul Dravid wants Kishan to play some matches if not Ranji Trophy to get back in the side, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah made it clear that players need to turn up for their state team until and unless they are injured. While Kishan is yet to break his silence on the issue, it seems he is not getting ready for the Indian Premier League (IPL) but DY Patil T20 before the cash-rich league.
According to a report by PTI, the 25-year-old who is currently training in Baroda with new Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya is set to play his first competitive match since November 2023 for Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai's DY Patil T20 tournament. He was not ready for Test cricket as he is was "working on certain technical aspects" of his game.
BCCI forced to make Ranji games mandatory
Meanwhile, the BCCI has made it clear that players will have to play a minimum number of Ranji Trophy games to be considered eligible for the IPL auction pool.
"If you are fit then no excuse will be entertained," BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently told the media in Rajkot.
"This applies to all centrally contracted players, they have to play. The player cannot decide his future, the selectors need to decide that. If the player is good in red-ball, he has to play."
Other senior members missing from Ranji Trophy
Along with Kishan, Deepak Chahar did not turn up for Ranji Trophy games either. The fast-bowling all-rounder is currently training with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) weeks ahead of IPL 2024. Also, Shreyas Iyer did not feature in Mumbai’s clash against Assam. However, it was reported that Iyer complained of pain in his lower back and groin after the second Test before he was dropped from the squad for the remainder of the series.
Jurel makes it count
Meanwhile, in Kishan’s absence, Srikar Bharat played the first two matches but failed to justify his spot with the bat. Bharat did not make it to the playing XI for the third Test and Dhruv Jurel made his debut. Jurel grabbed the opportunity with both hands and scored 46 in the first innings.
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