The contract rules with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) bar Indian players from participating in overseas T20 leagues. Even as questions were raised over the rule by several veteran cricketers in the wake of India’s T20 World Cup semifinal loss in 2022, BCCI made no changes in their regulations. There were even rumours last year that with SA20, South Africa’s very own T20 league, could have Indian players participating given that the franchises are owned by IPL teams, with players like MS Dhoni linked to the tournament. However, BCCI cleared their stance yet again ahead of the inaugural season of SA20 in 2023.
However, once an Indian player announces retirement from all forms of cricket and the IPL, the overseas leagues are open for them. SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith remains hopeful of Dhoni’s participation in the league in the near future after his IPL retirement, while former South Africa batter AB de Villiers wants Virat Kohli to play his final season of cricket in South Africa before retiring from the sport. So has Mark Boucher, who has more direct access to senior Indian players by virtue of being the head coach of Mumbai Indians in IPL, managed to convince players like Rohit Sharma, who is in the final phase of his cricketing career to play in SA20 in the future?
Speaking during a virtual media interaction on Friday, Boucher, in response to a Hindustan Times query, admitted that convincing players are “above his pay grade”.
He said: “I think it’ll be unbelievable if we got some of the Indian players involved. I don’t know, it’s probably above my pay grade to make those decisions. I know that a lot of the indian players don’t play in any of the leagues around the world other than the IPL. So maybe that’s a BCCI thing. But yes, you’re right. It would be fantastic to see some of the top Indian players playing in the South African league. It would definitely boost our league to a different level, as I’m sure there might be a lot of other countries that have got their own home leagues that they would love Indian guys to play in their leagues as well. But as I said, it hasn’t happened for whatever reason. It may be maybe in the future. We might see one or two players coming through and playing in these leagues but yeah, I’m not too sure. As I said, I think it’s above my pay grade to answer or ask questions of the BCCI.”
Boucher also felt that like IPL had once been hosted in South Africa back in 2009, owing to the clash of dates with the general elections in India, taking SA20 to India in the future could be “great” despite the logistical challenges.
“I think it’s a great idea; I’m not against it. The IPL happened in South Africa, and we can do the same, as both cricketing nations share a great relationship,” the veteran cricketer said.
“Although the challenges of playing in India will be different, it will still be great. Maybe Graeme Smith (SA20 commissioner) can work on it,” he added.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
