BCCI Ramps Up Pressure on Foreign Boards for Player Availability

Foreign players, like Jos Buttler, Marcus Stoinis, are uncertain about returning due to overlapping international commitments

- TDG NETWORK

The BCCI and IPL franchises have ramped up pressure on foreign boards to ensure that their players return for the league's resumption on May 17 despite some lingering safety concerns in the wake of India-Pakistan military hostilities.

The BCCI top brass has instructed IPL COO Hemang Amin to individually speak to the likes of Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to allay the concerns that the players may have about returning to India.

All the 10 teams are involved in a lot of back and forth with their overseas recruits over their arrival plans in India a day after the IPL announced the revised schedule following necessary security clearances from the government.

The world's biggest T20 league was suspended on May 9 due to an India-Pakistan military showdown, triggered by the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, south Kashmir. A day after its suspension, a ceasefire between the two countries was announced, paving the way for IPL's resumption.

"We have been speaking to the foreign boards individually while teams are directly dealing with their players. We expect majority of them to return," a BCCI official said on Tuesday.

CA has left it on the players to decide on their participation and in matters like these, the players' association has a role to play as well.