Have rights to take decisions with respect to cricketing ecosystem in India: BCCI official on KPL controversy

Tags: BCCI, KPL

Published on: Jul 31, 2021

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has hit out at former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) controversy. While Gibbs claimed that he was being stopped by BCCI from playing in the tournament, PCB alleged that BCCI was interfering in the personal matter of Pakistan cricket. Reacting sharply, BCCI hit back and stated that the Indian board is well within its rights to take decisions with respect to “the cricketing ecosystem in the country.”

A BCCI official was quoted as telling ANI over the KPL controversy, "While one can neither confirm or deny the veracity of the statement made by a former player who has figured in a CBI investigation into match-fixing earlier, the PCB must understand that even if Gibb's statement is assumed to be true, the BCCI would be well within their rights to take decisions with respect to the cricketing ecosystem in India. The fact that the Indian cricketing ecosystem is the most sought after for cricketing opportunities globally, should not be envied by the PCB."

The official added that PCB is coming across as confused over the issue. “Just the way the decision to not allow players of Pakistani origin to participate in the IPL cannot be construed as interfering in the internal affairs of an ICC member, the decision, if any, to allow or disallow anyone from participating in any manner with cricket within India is purely an internal matter of the BCCI," the official further stated. The BCCI official went on to state that the PCB is welcome to raise the matter with the ICC.

The PCB, in it official statement, claimed that the BCCI breached international norms and the spirit of the gentleman's game by interfering in internal affairs of the ICC Members. In its statement, the board pointed out that the KPL has been approved by the PCB.

Reacting to the statement, the BCCI official slammed the Pakistan board and said, "The PCB would do well to peruse the ICC's classification of official cricket. In the eventuality that a retired player is participating as a player in a tournament, it would not quite be official cricket and any permission granted would be moot.”

Earlier in the day, Gibbs took to Twitter and slammed BCCI, alleging he was being threatened by the Indian board over his decision to participate in the KPL. His tweet read, "Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the @kpl_20. Also threatening me saying they won't allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous."

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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