BCCI to not allow outstation players for the TNPL

The draft for Tamil Nadu Premier League is just days away and BCCI has handed the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association a big blow. There has been a lot of talks about which players will play in the league and which players will not. There certainly are rules and regulation which the TNCA needs to follow.

However, there was an exchange of letters between the two boards and it is not good news for TNCA as the BCCI is firm on its decision of not allowing outstation players to participate in the tournament. BCCI has been quite strict about this fact as they don’t allow the players attached to them to participate in any other leagues and want them to only play in the IPL.

TNCA acting within the rules

TNCA recently held talks with BCCI stating that they are acting within the rules and have done nothing wrong. All the players are affiliated to Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. According to TOI, BCCI has sent them a letter stating that no outstation players should be drafted or seen playing in the TNPL.

TNCA in its reply has stated that it is not breaking any rules and will host the TNPL within the regulations. “We have quoted the clause 28 in BCCI’s constitution and clarified that all the players have signed up for various TNCA clubs and therefore they come under our jurisdiction. We have sent them the names of outstation players who are registered for the draft. As we are not breaking any rules, we are not obliged to wait for BCCI reply and will go ahead with the TNPL draft on Friday,” a TNCA official said.

There have been other instances where the leagues in Maharashtra have fielded the players for Baroda and other states. “In the Maharashtra T20 league, players from Baroda, Rajkot are fielded. So is the practice in Karnataka. Even in Bengal, a lot of Jharkhand players come and play in their local leagues. So when there is precedence, how can they stop us,” the source added.

BCCI firm on their conditions

BCCI, however, is firm on their decision and said that if they allow TNCA to take in players from other states then the likes of Maharashtra and Karnataka will also want the same. They were briefed about the problem in the working committee meeting last year and things were made quite clear about the same issue then.

“According to Board policy, which was being made clear to the TNCA official who attended the working committee meeting last year, no outstation player will be eligible in any state T20 leagues. If we give them green light, then the leagues in Karnataka and Maharashtra will also want players from other states. Also to maintain the importance of IPL, BCCI doesn’t allow its players in T20 leagues of other countries. So there is no question of granting permission to TNCA,” the BCCI official stated.

It will be interesting to see how things go about during the draft which is scheduled in a couple of days. It is harsh on states when BCCI takes such decisions and TNCA looks to stand on its decision when it comes to the playing players from other states.