New Delhi: Off-field, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are staying away from the Ranji Trophy for different reasons. Kishan is reportedly honing his technique ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, while Iyer is grappling with a minor back spasm.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) leadership seems displeased with their absence and is considering excluding them from the new central contracts list.
According to a report in the Times of India, both Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are anticipated to be left out of the centrally contracted players’ list for the 2023-24 season. One of the reasons cited is their failure to participate in domestic cricket despite the board’s directive.
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“The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, have nearly finalized the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season, which the BCCI will announce shortly. Kishan and Iyer are expected to be omitted from that list, as both have not been actively involved in domestic cricket despite the BCCI’s instructions,” a source informed the paper.
Additionally, the paper quoted a source close to Iyer revealing that the middle-order batsman was sidelined from the last three Tests against England due to a back issue.
“Iyer was sidelined from India’s squad for the last three Tests as a precautionary measure, following complaints of a back problem. The concern arose after the second Test against England. Since then, Iyer has been troubled by a back problem,” the source disclosed. “Despite missing the occasional Ranji match, Iyer, one of India’s top-performing batsmen in the ODI World Cup last year, is unlikely to lose his contract.”
In the 2022-23 central contract, Ishan Kishan was categorized in Group C, while Shreyas Iyer was in Group B, with earnings of Rs 1 crore and 3 crores, respectively.
