In a significant move, the BCCI has decided to conduct an additional bone test at the age group level to ensure that no cricketer misses out on playing an extra season in the junior circuit due to arithmetical age. As per the existing norms, a player undergoes a bone test for age determination via the TW3 method (test used for assessing bone age) and a +1 factor is added to determine his or her eligibility for the next season in the same age group.However, with the rule change, for example a cricketer in the Under-16 boys category, will go a second bone test the following season to determine his eligibility to appear in the same age bracket. “It is being done to have an exact age and make sure that no player loses due to arithmetical calculation rather than scientific calculation,” a BCCI source said.The cut-off for U-16 boys is 16.5 years and 15 years for U-15 girls competition. “This means that the bone age of a player has to be 16.4 or below in the following season in male cricketers and 14.9 or below in case of females for participation,” the source said.To explain the rule change further, if a male U-16 player undergoes a bone test in the 2025–26 season and the result shows a bone age of 15.4 years, he would not need to undergo another bone test the following season.
