BCCI contracts row: Praveen Kumar's 'earn money' take on Iyer-Kishan omission

Former India paceman Praveen Kumar has shared his views on the controversial omission of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the BCCI central contracts list.

Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 2023-24 contracts list, and Iyer and Kishan were axed.

The move was a strong message from the Indian cricket board for the two cricketers for ignoring Ranji Trophy.

Iyer was declared fit by the BCCI but opted out of the premier domestic first-class tournament’s league phase stating that he had a back spasms issue. He was punished along with Kishan, who too chose not to play in the Ranji Trophy.

However, after the contracts list was announced, Iyer played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Tamil Nadu which the former won on Monday (March 4). Kishan is currently preparing for IPL 2024.

When asked about players picking IPL over domestic cricket, Praveen, who played six Tests, 68 ODIs, and 10 T20Is for India, said cricketers need to balance between playing for the country, domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League.

“I have been saying this for long. Earn money, who is stopping you? But it shouldn't be like you are not playing for the country or domestic cricket. This thing is now firmly in the minds of players. ‘I will rest for a month before the IPL and then play’. This happens because mentally you are not willing to let go of that much money. But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” Praveen told Times of India’s website.

Praveen, who played 119 IPL matches for different teams between 2008 and 2017, praised the Twenty20 league and said a lot has changed since the inaugural edition in 2008 when he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He had featured in the first-ever IPL match.

“IPL has given a lot of stars to Indian cricket. The youngsters have got a lot of benefits from this league as they get to share the dressing room and ground with the senior players not just from India but also from all around the world. Cricket has changed a lot. The year IPL commenced in 2008 and now, the IPL has changed, the approach has changed, and the game has totally changed now. Support staff has been increased. You spend more than one and a half months with players across the globe, so there is obviously a huge learning experience,” he said.