The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) apex council has approved their inclusion in the upcoming Games scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, in September-October.
This marks the first time that India will compete in cricket at the Asian Games, despite the sport featuring in the previous editions in 2010 and 2014, where India did not participate.
Similar to the previous editions, the cricket event at the Asian Games will be played in the T20 format. BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed the news, stating, “We are going to participate in the Asian Games. The Apex Council has approved the participation of our men’s and women’s teams.”
Given that the Men’s ODI World Cup is set to commence on October 5, just two days before the conclusion of the Asian Games cricket competition, the BCCI is expected to field a second-string men’s team while sending a full-strength women’s team to the Games.
In the previous editions of the Asian Games, Bangladesh secured the men’s gold medal in 2010, while Sri Lanka emerged victorious in 2014. Pakistan claimed the women’s gold medal on both occasions.
Some Other Matters Discussed On Table
Aside from the Asian Games participation, the BCCI’s apex committee also discussed the issue of players retiring from international and domestic cricket to take part in overseas leagues.
This matter gained attention following the retirement of Ambati Rayudu after the IPL 2023 final, after which he signed up with the Texas Super Kings for the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket.
Currently, Indian players can only participate in overseas leagues if they have retired from international cricket or are no longer involved in BCCI-run tournaments, including the IPL.
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While only a few Indian players have ventured into overseas leagues after retiring, concerns have been raised due to the proliferation of leagues worldwide, potentially leading to premature retirements for players seeking opportunities in these tournaments.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah addressed these concerns, stating, “We’ll come out with a policy to prevent the trend of pre-determined retirement. The office-bearers will formulate a policy and seek approval for it.”