Crucket

So the compromise solution cooked up by NZC to allow six Indian players to participate in the State Championship ahead of the test series without them having to play with or against the NZ ICL players looks like it has satisfied everyone. The BCCI is happy because none of its players have to play with the radioactive ICL players, the NZCPA is happy because none of its ICL players are being pushed aside and NZC is happy because the BCCI is not upset and the Indians should give the Championship a bit of a boost.

Really though, this is no victory for the BCCI. They are coming out of this and the masters match with egg all over their faces. There will be few cricket followers either outside or inside India who would think that the actions of the BCCI are anything other than childish. And they have achieved nothing for that.

The purpose of the BCCI’s position is to drive ICL players out of other countries’ domestic competitions by forcing those other countries to choose between their ICL players or India. Quarantining the ICL players from the BCCI players is just a means to that end, not an end in itself. So if all they have achieved is to avoid contact with ICL players without having them excluded, then they have failed.

If the BCCI really had the courage of their conviction they would refuse to allow their players to be involved in competitions involving ICL players. That is, no Indian players in the State Championship if any ICL players play for any team.