According to some reports, the IPL franchises have recently requested BCCI to take necessary action on certain foreign players who withdrew from IPL 2024 at the very last minute.
During the BCCI and IPL franchise meeting on Wednesday(31 July 2024), the IPL franchise recommended a two-year ban on overseas players who skip the tournament after being bought at the auction.
They highlighted that overseas players used to pull out of the IPL season after being brought at a lower price in the auction amid various reasons.
The franchises told the board they could understand if the player withdrew from the IPL due to family commitments, or due to injury or to represent his international team. They were happy to make these allowances so long as there was clarity at the time of the auction about the player’s availability during the IPL season.
As many franchises have raised the same complaint, BCCI is likely to take the matter seriously.
“The actions of players such as Jason Roy, Alex Hales, and Wanindu Hasaranga, to name a few, who have withdrawn from the IPL on various occasions in the past – ostensibly because of receiving a low bid – have raised concerns of the IPL management. None-too-convincing reasons for their withdrawals have ranged from personal issues to injuries, leaving franchises less than pleased,” said a report.
It further stated that many players do not prefer to register for the mega auctions, instead, they look for mini auctions to secure more attractive offers than the ones they get in the mega auctions.
With the meeting taking place on July 31, the discussions will be taken regarding this topic and other points mentioned in the agenda. There will be also a discussion about the Impact Player rule in the meeting.
In the previous season, the ECB recalled their players for bilateral matches before the IPL playoffs. This decision affected most of the teams missing the England players at crucial stages of the tournament.
While asked about this, ECB CEO Richard Gould said, “We are always very pleased when our players go out, around the world playing in franchise tournaments. We have a very good record. If you look at 2023, 74 English-qualified men’s players played in tournaments around the world. That is by far and away means that we’re the biggest contributor to global franchises, bar none.
“The second best performing nation, I think, is Pakistan on 45. So, look, we’re always very keen when our players can pursue other opportunities. But of course, as you’ll have seen, as we’ve gone into multi-year central contracts, it’s extremely important that our top players, both men and women, are available, able, and willing to play for England when we have bilateral or ICC internationals that we’re competing in,” concluded Richard Gould.
There will be also discussions about IPL retentions and incremental performance pay, which the franchises prefer to have autonomy on these matters rather than BCCI taking decisions.
For the first time, the agenda is set to be discussed with the owners. However, it is unlikely that professionals from the franchises, such as CEOs or managers, will be permitted to attend. Some franchise owners have requested BCCI to facilitate their participation via video link.
