Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan Set To Lose BCCI Central Contracts Over Unwillingness To Play Ranji Trophy: Report

Indian cricketers Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan will reportedly be removed from the 2023-24 BCCI Central Contracts list for players following their absence from the Ranji Trophy 2024.

Iyer and Kishan have been in the news of late for all the wrong reasons, especially due to their unwillingness to play Ranji matches for their respective teams Mumbai and Jharkhand.

Ishan Kishan opted out of Jharkhand's final fixture of the tournament against Rajasthan in Jamshedpur. Instead, the 25-year-old decided to train for IPL 2024 with Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal at Kiran More Academy in Baroda.

Ishan Kishan has been out of action since his withdrawal from the ODI and Test series against South Africa, citing mental fatigue as the reason.

However, it has been reported that Ishan informed head coach Rahul Dravid that he was working on his fitness and thus, opted not to play Ranji Trophy matches.

Did Shreyas Iyer lie about Back Spasms?

Shreyas Iyer on the other hand, was dropped from Team India after two matches in the ongoing Test series against England due to inconsistent performances. Selectors reportedly informed Iyer to play the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Baroda, starting on Friday (today).

However, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) stated that Iyer has been ruled out of the Ranji Trophy knockout due to 'back spasms'.

But there is a twist in the tale, according to reports.

The Indian Express claims that the NCA emailed the BCCI stating that Shreyas Iyer was 'fit to play' as per the report handed over to Team India management after the second Test in Vizag. The email added that there were 'no fresh injuries' on India's middle-order batter's body after he departed from the team.

As per the report by Times of India (TOI), a source close to Shreyas Iyer said that he was excluded from Test squad as a precautionary measure after he complained about back problem.

BCCI to take action against Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan

After Iyer and Ishan opted out of Ranji Trophy matches, the BCCI has reportedly decided to remove them from the central contracts list which is likely to be announced after the fourth Test against India.

"The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, has almost finalised the list of list centrally contracted players for 2023-24 season too, which the BCCI will announce soon.

"Kishan and Iyer are likely to be excluded from that, as both haven't been playing domestic cricket despite the BCCI's diktat to do so," a source close to BCCI told TOI.

The BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had strictly warned all the centrally contracted players should participate in the ongoing Ranji Trophy while being away from international arena.