SPORTS: Cricketer Suresh Raina wants BCCI to allow players to play overseas leagues, who are without BCCI contracts.
Highly rated Indian Cricketer and batsman Suresh Raina has urged Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow cricketers to take part in foreign cricket leagues. He wants the BCCI to soften their stance and let players go overseas to participate in other leagues, including the Big Bash League. According to the current BCCI guidelines, regardless of having a contract or not, active Indian male cricketers are restricted to play in any foreign leagues. Raina suggested that cricketers who are not on BCCI contract and are on the radar of the clubs in Big Bash League should be exempted from these restrictions.
The Uttar Pradesh based Cricketer said, "I hope the BCCI can get together with the ICC or with franchises and allow players who don't have BCCI contracts to play in overseas leagues. Yusuf Pathan, myself, Robin Uthappa - a lot of quality players (could) go overseas and learn a lot. We aren't in the BCCI contract list; some of us don't have IPL contracts. We don't play International Cricket and the competition in domestic cricket isn't what it is at the international level." In 2018, Pravin Tambe, the oldest player to grab an IPL contract, at 48, was barred from playing in his team, Kolkata Knight Riders, as he had participated in T10 league held in Sharjah. The same stood true for veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who had to step back from participating in "THE HUNDRED" league in the United Kingdom. There was some chatter on him playing in the league as his name was included in the player's draft, priced at 100000 GBP.
As per the BCCI guidelines, he would have to formally announce retirement to play in that league and so Harbhajan retracted by saying, "I respect the rules laid down by my parent body. I will never flout any BCCI rule. If that means withdrawing my name from the draft, so be it. I will withdraw my name."
Suresh Raina had strongly urged the BCCI to reconsider their guidelines as it is not just for the non-contracted cricketers.