A week or so ago, the Indian cricket board decided to come out with a policy making it mandatory for contracted players to make themselves available for Ranji Trophy matches. The only exemptions would be for players called up to the national team or those recuperating from injuries. In theory, this is a sound measure to ensure players do not skip red-ball cricket for the IPL.
But such a policy—it is not yet known if and when the BCCI will officially implement it—could give rise to problems down the road. Let us forget that the same BCCI prioritised the the IPL over Ranji Trophy during the pandemic years; the latter was cancelled in 2021 while its 2022 edition was truncated.
There are three different formats and a lot of players to go around. If a centrally contracted player wants to specialise in both white-ball formats, they should be empowered to do so. Passing such a policy could mean players turning up against their will. In such a situation, there will be no winners.
To give an example, a young English batter, Will Smeed, gave up his red-ball career to focus on becoming a better player in limited-over cricket. This is the way of the world. A system like this promotes much-needed specialisation. The international cricket calendar is very cramped after the advent of T20 cricket and its exponential growth. With players having to manage workloads and balance family life, it may not be possible to keep themselves available all the time.
So what if they opt out for a month rather than strap their pads? What if they opt to take a break during the Ranji Trophy rather than the IPL? A more grown-up way of resolving issues would be the BCCI getting in touch with players and finding out if they have reservations about playing a format and, if yes, empowering them to leave the format. It should not threaten players of severe consequences if they do not appear in the country's domestic red-ball tournaments. It just sends the wrong message.
On one hand, the BCCI in a novel gesture has allowed players like Virat Kohli and R Ashwin to take leave for personal reasons, this mandatory rule may not go well with its player-friendly face. After all, consent does matter.