In the BCCI's annual player contract list for the senior men's team (2023-24), two prominent names, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, are conspicuously missing. Both athletes have been regulars in the squad up until now; Kishan was recently involved in the South African tour in December, and Iyer played the first two Tests against England. Nevertheless, the BCCI has stripped them of their contracts, adding a clear disclaimer that neither player was included in the current recommendations.
The BCCI’s Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season lacked two key players: Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. Until recently, the star Indian batters were part of the squad. While Ishan Kishan was the penultimate member of India’s Test team during their December tour of South Africa, Shreyas Iyer played the first two Tests of the ongoing series against England. However, the BCCI removed the two senior players from the contract list. The BCCI made a point of highlighting the duo’s absence with the following paragraph in the list: “Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations.”
While the official announcement didn't explicitly detail why the two were cut, the BCCI's emphasis on domestic cricket provides a telling clue. The board stated that players must prioritize domestic matches when not representing India. This is likely a nod to Ishan Kishan's situation; after leaving the South Africa tour in mid-December for personal reasons, it was expected that he would return to the Ranji Trophy with Jharkhand. Instead, the 25-year-old stayed away from the game, ignoring direct advice from head coach Rahul Dravid to play competitive cricket to secure his place in the national side.
When Ishan Kishan quit India’s tour of South Africa on December 17, the BCCI stated: Mr. Ishan Kishan has requested the BCCI to release him from the upcoming Test series against South Africa due to personal reasons. While it was assumed that Ishan would return to domestic cricket after leaving the national team, the 25-year-old cricketer elected to remain absent from the Ranji Trophy matches for his state team Jharkhand. Ishan defied Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid’s unambiguous advice to play some type of cricket to regain his spot in the Indian squad.
As for Shreyas Iyer, his struggle for form in Test matches has been evident. After a poor showing in the first two Tests against England, he was dropped for the remaining three. Interestingly, the BCCI hasn't released any medical updates regarding an injury, which usually happens when a player is being rested. This lack of medical reporting suggests that his omission is a performance-based decision rather than a health-related one, according to insiders.
There has been some confusion regarding Iyer's health, as he missed Mumbai's Ranji Trophy semifinals citing injury. However, reports indicate that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) cleared him. An email from Nitin Patel, the NCA's head of sports science, reportedly confirmed to selectors that Iyer was fit. This contradicts the Mumbai Cricket Association's claim that a back strain kept him out of the quarterfinal against Baroda.
By removing both players from the contract list, the BCCI appears to be taking a hardline stance to warn other players that national aspirations require a commitment to the domestic circuit.