NCA, IPL franchises to monitor Indian team regulars: What it means

During the last couple of seasons, which saw T20 World Cups being held in successive years, there were reports of Indian players' workload being monitored in the IPL

The BCCI, for the first time, revealed officially that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and IPL franchises would work together to monitor the 20 Indian team players who will also be in the 50-over World Cup which is less than 10 months away. The decision was reached at the end of the review meeting which took place Sunday.

Both the Australian and English cricket boards have similar agreements in place with players who are part of the IPL and the franchises stick to them.

During the last couple of seasons, which saw T20 World Cups being held in successive years, there were reports of Indian players' workloads being monitored in the IPL. Franchises did not allow the BCCI and NCA to manage players directly but were open to sharing reports.

However, in the latest press release, the BCCI said it would "monitor the targeted Indian players participating in the IPL 2023." There has been no clarity on the the press release with regard to whether the cricketing board of the nation would monitor players' performances or workload.

Read | BCCI to focus on player fitness ahead of ODI World Cup

If the workload is to be monitored it remains to be seen if BCCI takes a cue from the Australian and English boards, which puts a cap on some players when they arrive in the IPL. Fast bowlers and all-rounders have a limit placed on the number of overs they can deliver during their stint and it includes both net sessions and matches. It is there in the NOCs that the member boards give to the players, without which they cannot participate.

It remains to be seen if this is possible with Indian players because in the past the franchises have not welcomed the BCCI monitoring their players.

In the past, there have been some instances where big franchises have refused to share reports with the NCA, The Indian Express reported, citing a source .

A franchise official said, "The BCCI cannot ask the franchises to rest a player for any IPL game. They can of course monitor the workload and ask for any data to be shared, but they cannot fix a cap and say a certain player can play only X number of matches or can bowl only X number of overs."

During the IPL, the players are technically under contract with the franchises and not the BCCI, so only time will tell whether the board can pass diktats regarding workload management.

Last year, leading up to the T20 World Cup, players were either rested or had requested breaks, meaning until the Asia Cup, the Indian team didn't take to the field with their regulars, and the lack of playtime together led to a semi-final exit. The fact that no player asked for breaks during the IPL was noticed and former Indian team captain Sunil Gavaskar questioned the players' commitment to national fixtures.

The 50-over World Cup is looming and India is far from forming a squad that will deliver on expectations on home soil. The long IPL season followed by the World Cup means that it is imperative for the board and IPL franchises to work in tandem to preserve players so the men in blue can shoulder the hopes of the nation.