According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering a new retirement policy for Indian cricketers. The cricket board wants to prevent players from retiring early from domestic or international cricket in order to play in foreign franchise leagues.
The proposal was discussed during the online meeting of the Apex Council on Thursday. BCCI officials also considered introducing a five-year cooling-off period for players seeking a comeback after retirement. The Council reviewed requests for cricket-related assistance from the Maldives Cricket Board and Cricket Fiji.
BCCI proposes new five-year cooling-off rule for retired cricketers
According to Hindustan Times, BCCI explained the reason behind the proposed five-year cooling-off period. The main objective is to ensure that players carefully consider their retirement decisions before leaving domestic or international cricket.
“The aim is to send a message to the players to be confident about their decision. The modalities will be worked out keeping all the parameters in mind before making the rules,” a BCCI official said.
Vijay Shankar recently retired and signed for Kandy Royals in the 2026 Lanka Premier League. Over the years, many Indian players, including Dinesh Karthik, Yuvraj Singh, Unmukt Chand, Praveen Tambe and Irfan Pathan, retired from domestic cricket to become eligible to play in foreign franchise leagues.
BCCI is yet to take a final decision on the proposed five-year cooling-off period
According to Cricbuzz, the apex council discussed ways to prevent active Indian players from joining foreign leagues after retirement. Although the matter was discussed in detail, the final decision on the proposed cooling-off period will be taken by the BCCI President and Secretary.
“The matter has been left to the BCCI President and Secretary to take a final decision on the issue, but broadly the board is considering setting a minimum cooling-off of five years for a player to be a part of Indian cricket after playing in a foreign league,” the report said.
KS Bharat announced his retirement from international cricket on social media while remaining eligible to play in the IPL. Vijay Shankar represented India in 12 ODIs and nine T20 matches.
BCCI discusses support to Maldives and Fiji cricket boards
According to Cricbuzz, the BCCI also discussed several administrative matters beyond the proposed retirement policy during the Apex Council meeting. Officials reviewed requests from smaller cricket boards seeking financial and structural assistance.
“Apart from the retirement issue, the BCCI also discussed requests for assistance from the Maldives Cricket Board and Cricket Fiji. Board officials also discussed the support that could be given to the two international boards. An application for affiliation from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was also pending,” the report said.
The Board also reviewed the pending application of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for official affiliation. Meanwhile, the issue of India’s T20I captaincy was not discussed during the meeting, as selection-related matters fall under the responsibility of the national selection committee.
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