India's wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan's reluctance to play first-class cricket has prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider taking strict action. The BCCI is contemplating making it mandatory for players to participate in at least three to four Ranji matches before joining the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ishan has not played for India since November last year and took a break in the middle of the South Africa tour, reportedly due to mental health fatigue. Earlier this month, after India beat England in the second Test in Visakhapatnam to level the five-match series, Dravid, for the second time in over 30 days, was asked about Ishan's possibility of coming back soon. "Whenever he is ready, I didn't say he has to play domestic cricket, I said whenever he is ready, he needs to play some cricket and come back. The choice is his. We are not forcing him to do anything," he said. "We are in touch with him, it is not that we have not been in touch."
Kishan has been absent from the Indian team and has chosen not to represent Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. During his absence, Jharkhand finished second to last in Group A. Instead of playing domestic cricket, Kishan has been training with his IPL team, the Mumbai Indians, alongside captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda. The BCCI has directed Kishan to participate in Jharkhand's final match in the Ranji Trophy against Rajasthan, scheduled for February 16. The BCCI is considering implementing stringent regulations to discourage young players from solely focusing on the IPL.
In the wake of discussions in the BCCI to make a minimum number of Ranji Trophy games mandatory for every player to be eligible for IPL's auction pool, a PTI report revealed that board officials instructed Ishan to play Jharkhand's final league game in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, which begins on February 16 at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur. The Ranji Trophy match will be Ishan's final opportunity to get some game time, with the following possible appearance being in IPL 2024 for Mumbai Indians. Even the Indian team, in the middle of a Test series against England at home, will be out of action between March 11 and the start of the IPL.
