Forthcoming India-Bangladesh tour yet to be confirmed, says the BCB president
The Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam has informed on Monday that the BCCI has yet to confirm the India tour of Bangladesh as it is still awaiting for government clearance. After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s T20 retirement and a sudden exit from the Tests, the world cricket is waiting to see them in India colours. In April the BCB has confirmed the dates for India’s tour featuring three ODI match series followed by a three match T20I series. As previously confirmed by the BCCI, Rohit Sharma will remain the captain of this format. “I have already spoken to the BCCI. The discussions have been positive,” said Aminul Islam on Monday. “We are hopeful. The tour is scheduled, but they are waiting for the government approvals” If the BCCI fails to get the approval, the appearance of Rohit and Kohli in Indian colours will be delayed until the tour of Australia in October.
BCCI issues safety guidelines after horrific ‘RCB’ stampede tragedy
Following the horrible stampede that occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory celebration, the BCCI is taking decisive action. The board has confirmed that no future IPL celebrations will proceed without stringent safety measures in place, following the incident in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 fans. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia acknowledged the mishap and stressed that the public celebrations during the post-IPL wins must not come at the cost of human lives. Although the BCCI initially distanced itself from the event, organized independently by RCB and the Karnataka government, the board has now stepped in to regulate such celebrations moving forward. To ensure that future felicitation events are well-planned and secure, the BCCI has constituted a three-member committee to frame standardized safety protocols. These guidelines will be mandatory for all IPL teams henceforth. Key guidelines proposed by BCCI: Cooling-off period: No team will be allowed to hold celebrations within 3-4 days of winning the title. Quick turnarounds will not be permitted to avoid rushed and poorly managed events. Mandatory BCCI clearance: Teams must seek formal permission from BCCI before organizing any celebration. No events can be held without prior written clearance from the board. Security blueprint: Mandatory 4 to 5-tier security protocols. Multi-layered security presence will be essential at all venues and during transit. Security arrangements must cover team movement from the airport to the event venue. The franchise must have to ensure full protection for players and staff throughout the event schedule. Government permissions: Permission must be obtained from district police, state government, and local authorities. All celebrations must be green-lit by civic and law enforcement bodies to proceed legally and safely. RCB’s victory parade was hurriedly planned for June 4, just a day after their first-ever title win. Despite traffic police warnings, the event saw over 2 lakh fans assemble outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, leading to a deadly stampede. The franchise’s marketing head was later arrested and KSCA officials resigned in the aftermath. Nikhil Sosale, however, went out on bail afterwards.
BCCI to wait for next few days before trying to resume IPL this may!
Amidst the rumors about resumption of the deferred IPL a new report by Cricbuzz has revealed that BCCI is committed to conducting the IPL in May and is on the watch-out for next three days. “We have suspended the league for one week. We are not looking beyond that at this stage,” a BCCI source on 9th May was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. The source added, “We are serious about it. Watch out for the next three days.” The Cricbuzz report suggests that in case there is a ceasefire in the next few days, then BCCI will fast track the schedule of IPL with a few double headers. The availability of overseas players could be an issue during a resumed IPL, given most of these players have already departed for their country or are set to leave. Reportedly, BCCI will leave this matter to the franchises to handle. The Indian cricket board is not keen on cancelling the Bangladesh series in August to conduct the remaining leg of IPL, given that it would overlap with The Hundred (nine English players are part of IPL squads). Meanwhile, conducting the IPL in September would make it clash with the Caribbean Premier League (Eight West Indies players are currently in the IPL).
Indian Premier League suspended for a week due to India-Pakistan’s ongoing clash
The Indian Premier League has been suspended for one week in the wake of the rising tensions along the border between India and Pakistan. After the dramatic events of Thursday, the scheduled match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings had to be suspended in the middle of the game. BCCI’s official statement read: “The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council after due consultation with all key stakeholders following the representations from most of the franchisees, who conveyed the concern and sentiments of their players, and also the views of the broadcaster, sponsors and fans, while the BCCI reposes full faith in the strength and preparedness of our armed forces, the Board considered it prudent to act in the collective interest of all stakeholders.” Royal Challengers Bengaluru were scheduled to play Lucknow Super Giants in Bengaluru at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. However, Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings, and Mumbai Indians occupy the top four spots before the remainder of the league was suspended. Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have officially been out of the race, while Kolkata Knight Riders, too, are practically out of play-off contention. Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are still fighting for the fourth (last) spot. India’s former Test captain Rohit Sharma supported the decision and wrote on his social media page, ‘With every passing moment, with every decision taken I feel extremely proud of our Indian Army, Indian Airforce & Indian Navy. Our warriors are standing tall for our nation’s pride. It’s important for every Indian to be responsible and refrain from spreading or believing any fake news. Stay safe, everyone! Virat Kohli also welcomed the decision and wrote on his social media page, ‘We stand in solidarity with, and salute our armed forces for fiercely protecting our country in these difficult times. We are forever indebted to our heroes for their unwavering bravery and heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifices they and their families make for our great nation.’ Significantly, former England international Michael Vaughan has offered an alternative thought for the IPL organizer writing on his social media page, ‘I wonder if it’s possible to finish the IPL in the UK .. We have all the venues and the Indian players can then stay on for the Test series, just a thought?’
Shreyas and Kishan back in the BCCI contract; Pant gets an upgrade
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are back on the BCCI’s central contracts list for 2024-25 after being left out the previous time. The top tier of the contracts (A+) has four players –Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rabindra Jadeja. However Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja have retired from T-20Is after India won the T-20 World Cup in June last year. Rishav Pant has been promoted from Grade B to Grade A, which also has Mohammad Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammad Shami. Pant had previously been in Grade A – for the 2022-23 season but was moved down to Grade-B after not playing for over a year following a horrific car crash in December 2022. He returned to play IPL 2024 and has since been part of all formats for India – he’s played 10 Tests, one ODI, and 10 T20Is since then – and has returned to Grade A. Iyer, meanwhile, is part of Grade B along with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and India T-20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, while Kishan has been added to Grade C. The new entrants in the contracts’ list – all currently in Grade C – are Nitish Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Abhishek Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep, Varun Chakrabarthy, and Harshit Rana. Shardul Thakur, KS Bharat, Avesh Khan, and Jitesh Sharma, who were all on the Grade C list – the lowest of the retainers – last year, have been dropped. The BCCI did not mention the amounts for the four contract categories, but the players in the A+ category are paid Rs 7 crore, the players contracted in A grade are given Rs 5 crore, the B-graded cricketers are allotted Rs 3 crore, and the cricketers listed in C-grade are paid Rs 1 crore.
