Kolkata Knight Riders have sparked fresh debate after reports surfaced that centrally contracted India spinner Varun Chakravarthy was asked to take the field despite a fractured left foot. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, while acknowledging the concerns, said the board cannot interfere once the IPL is underway, underscoring the limits of the BCCI’s control over franchise match-day decisions.
The controversy has been fuelled by the understanding that centrally contracted players are monitored through a shared medical chain. Typically, the franchise physio keeps the India team’s medical staff informed, and the BCCI retains the ability to flag potential risks if a player’s injury is likely to worsen. In Chakravarthy’s case, the questions intensified because he appeared to carry the problem through his entire spell during KKR’s match against Gujarat Titans, leading to scrutiny of how Chakravarthy was deployed despite a hairline fracture.
BCCI’s position as IPL plays out
Saikia’s comments also outlined the board’s broader stance on injured players being pushed to play. He said that within the IPL, the responsibility for managing injuries and fitness primarily rests with the franchises, with additional oversight from the BCCI’s medical ecosystem.
“So far as IPL is concerned, franchises take care of the injuries and fitness of the players. Of course physios from COE (Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru) are also monitoring them, workload as well as plan on how to keep them fit,” Saikia said. However, his next point raised new questions about whether the BCCI can step in to prevent a franchise from using a player who is carrying an injury.
“The monitoring is there but when IPL is going on, we cannot interfere too much; had it been Indian team situation, our control would have been more,” Saikia added. That admission sparked debate over how far the BCCI can go in stopping a franchise if it believes a player’s condition is not fit for competitive cricket.
Saikia then pointed to the structure of decision-making shifting further towards franchise discretion during the tournament. “Now we are giving freedom to franchises to take call on the players. We will definitely look at their fitness level when it comes to selecting the national team,” he said.
