Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar opt out of crucial Ranji Trophy matches despite BCCI mandate

Ishan Kishan and Deepak Chahar have chosen not to participate in the pivotal last round of Ranji Matches, defying the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) mandate.

Ishan Kishan will be conspicuously absent from the upcoming and crucial last round of the Ranji Matches, despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandating their participation. Both players, for reasons undisclosed, have chosen not to be part of these significant encounters.

Additionally, both Deepak Chahar and Shreyas Iyer were notably absent from the action, with Iyer citing issues related to his lower back and groin. Notably, these three players – Kishan, Chahar, and Iyer – had received specific instructions to participate in first-class cricket for their respective state teams. Recently, BCCI secretary Jay Shah addressed concerns about centrally contracted players missing domestic tournaments, emphasizing that fit players under central contracts must make themselves available for selection in domestic cricket.

Shah stated, "If you are fit, then no excuse will be entertained. This applies to all centrally contracted players; they have to play. The player cannot decide his future; the selectors need to decide that. If the player is proficient in red-ball cricket, he has to play."

In Kishan's absence, Kumar Kushagra has taken on the wicketkeeping responsibilities for Jharkhand, who, with only one win and ten points from six matches, are currently playing against Rajasthan at home.

Having requested a mid-tour break during India's South Africa series, Kishan has been honing his skills in Baroda alongside his new Mumbai Indians captain, Hardik Pandya. Meanwhile, Iyer's domestic team, Mumbai, has already secured a spot in the quarter-finals, engaging in their final league match against Assam at home.