Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan’s exclusion drew attention in the BCCI’s central contracts list for the 2023-24 season, announced on Wednesday (February 28). Both players appeared to face consequences for disregarding the board’s instructions regarding participation in the Ranji Trophy.

The termination of Iyer and Kishan’s contracts led to criticism from fans and experts, questioning the BCCI’s decision to include Hardik Pandya in the Grade A category. Pandya, known for his exploits in limited-overs cricket, has not been actively involved in red-ball or white-ball domestic tournaments outside national team commitments.

Following the backlash, a report from The Indian Express suggested that Hardik Pandya was awarded a contract only after committing to represent Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy, in the absence of international fixtures.

“We have had discussions with Pandya, who has been told to play domestic white-ball tournaments when he is available. At this stage, according to the assessment of the BCCI’s medical team, he is not in a position to bowl in red-ball tournaments. So playing Ranji Trophy is out of the equation for Pandya. But he has to play other white-ball tournaments if there are no India commitments. If not, he will miss out on a contract,” the top BCCI official told The Indian Express.

According to the Future Tours Programme, India’s schedule includes only three T20Is at home against Bangladesh. During the October-December period, the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy are scheduled, coinciding with a lack of white-ball commitments for the Indian team. Unless Pandya faces fitness issues, he has been requested to participate in both these tournaments.

The report also mentioned that the BCCI plans to direct contracted players to join their respective state units during periods when they are not part of the national team setup.

In recent instances, some players have been observed attending brief training sessions with their IPL franchises during the domestic season. Notably, Shreyas Iyer participated in the KKR training camp after being absent from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match.

(The Indian Express inputs)