‘If you don't value the cricket...’ - Kamran Akmal’s verdict on Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan’s annual contract snub

Ishan Kishan was axed from BCCI’s central contract list for the 2023-24 season, following his decision to not participate in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024. The youngster opted out of the South Africa Test series citing mental fatigue, but the team management and the selection committee expected him to feature in the domestic red-ball tournament, which began in the first week of January. However, he decided not to play for Jharkhand, and instead, was spotted training with Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya in Baroda. This purpotedly infuriated the top brass of BCCI, which led to his removal from the list of central contracts issued.

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer refused to play Mumbai’s quarter-final match in the Ranji Trophy, citing injury concerns. However, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) gave him a fit certificate which led to BCCI taking a strong stance against him and removing him from the central contract, despite him doing well in the white-ball format for India in the past few months.

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Speaking on the recent developments, former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal stated that BCCI has done the correct thing by punishing the cricketers by expelling their names from the current season's contract list. He explained that playing domestic cricket is very crucial as it provides the supply line for international cricket. The 42-year-old added that the governing body had to take a tough decision to preserve and safeguard the interest of the cricketers and to ensure that no one else repeats the same in the future. He also stated that going through with such contentious calls was a clear indication of the management being in good hands.

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“Shreyas Iyer played the first two Tests of the series. If you don't value the cricket because of which you made it to the national team, what message is it going to give to all the youngsters?" said Akmal on his YouTube Channel.

“BCCI has made the right call, taking such strict action early on to control the damage. If they had given them a levy and handed them central contracts, a lot more players would have started playing on their own terms in the future. India have given a message to their players to ensure that nobody even thinks of doing something like this the next time. This is proof of good management. Nobody is bigger than the game,” he added.