Afghanistan players get approval to play in the IPL

Afghanistan and their rise in international cricket have been something well-documented in recent times. With the ICC showcasing their superpower in recent times, they are one of the few associate members who has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years. The evidence for the same can be found in the simple fact that they claimed a win over the West Indies in the World T20 earlier this year.

This week, however, has been a good one for all those affiliated with Afghanistan cricket in one way or another. Firstly, Afghanistan is in the reckoning for being a part of the Test Championship as the ICC has flirted with the idea of extending test playing status to both Afghanistan and Ireland. However, in more immediate updates, the BCCI may well allow a few Afghan players to feature in the Indian premier League.

Reports from reliable sources go on to suggest that there is a memorandum (MOU) between the Afghanistan Cricket Board as well as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to have some of the players feature in the IPL the following season. The source also went on to reveal that the Afghan officials had a highly productive meeting with BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in the official headquarters in Mumbai.

The meeting supposedly had talked with both sides playing bilateral series against each other with even a talk of both sides playing U19 cricket against each other. The MOU also has a clause wherein both boards will work together and see to it that the Afghan players receive the required international exposure they have been dreaming of while some of the coaches will also be put through courses with international standards and practices in place.

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This MOU would also ensure Afghan players get to play in Indian National Cricket Academies, particularly Bangalore and the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.