Guwahati, May 19: Kolkata Knight Riders have courted controversy by forcing India’s centrally contracted player Varun Chakravarthy to play despite a fractured left foot but BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia conceded that the board “cannot interfere” in franchise’s affairs when the IPL is on.
There is a common understanding that for all centrally contracted players, franchise physio keeps the India physio updated and the BCCI could red flag teams if one of their players could potentially aggravate his injury.
Chakravarthy hobbled through his entire spell during the match against Gujarat Titans, raising questions on how Abhishek Nayar and company fielded Chakravarthy despite a hairline fracture.While Saikia wasn’t particularly asked about Chakravarthy, he did put forth BCCI’s stand on injured players being pushed by some of the franchises to play.“So far as IPL is concerned, franchises take care of the injuries and fitness of the players. Of course physios from COE (Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru) are also monitoring them, workload as well as plan on how to keep them fit,” Saikia said but his next statement was worrisome.
“The monitoring is there but when IPL is going on, we cannot interfere too much, had it been Indian team situation, our control would have been more,” Saikia’s admission raised questions on whether BCCI is in a position to stop a franchise from fielding an injured player.
“Now we are giving freedom to franchises to take call on the players. We will definitely look at their fitness level when it comes to selecting the national team,” Saikia said. Saikia’s remarks have now triggered a wider debate on whether the BCCI needs stronger regulatory authority during the IPL to prevent injured players from being pushed beyond safe limits. (PTI)
