Foreign players for Ranji not a good idea

On the face of it, the decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India appears laudable. The idea is to improve the state of the domestic cricket structure. By allowing state association to have four guest players, including one from overseas, the administrators say that they are aiming to provide opportunities.

Well, that was precisely what the Indian Cricket League too was aiming at. The ICL wanted to provide opportunities to those players who did not get a look in otherwise. The ICL also had some foreign stars and we insisted on including a specific number so that our own youngsters are not found craving for a chance to play.

But how did the BCCI reward ICL? The ICL was banned. Now, the BCCI is inviting foreigners to come and play in domestic cricket with the hope that they would bring the crowd back to the stadiums for Ranji Trophy matches. If that was true, which foreign star would attract greater audience than our own Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid. Provided, of course, they get to play in domestic cricket.

Is the BCCI not reducing the opportunities for its own players by having these foreign players? The number may grow next season. Now tell me who will benefit from such a move? Maybe teams like Goa, Tripura, Vidarbha, who do not have a great pool to draw from. What about other teams? They have ample talent to pick from.