Too many matches causing player injuries, says BCCI secretary Saikia
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking for ways to tackle the rising number of player injuries. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has linked the frequent injuries to a busy match calendar, saying that players are getting injured due to too many matches. "Individual players are having injuries because they have to play a lot of matches," he told reporters.
Injury concerns
Saikia on England's ODI team
Saikia cited the example of England's ODI team, which suffered injuries after playing two months of the IPL.
He said, "But they had played two months of IPL prior to that. So all this takes toll on the health of the players also."
The BCCI is now looking for ways within current windows and FTPs (Future Tours Programmes) to prevent such situations in future.
Strategic discussions
BCCI held meeting with key stakeholders
The BCCI recently held a meeting in Mumbai with key figures such as India head coach Gautam Gambhir, the director of cricket at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) VVS Laxman, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer and ODI captain Shubman Gill, as per Cricinfo.
This was after India's inability to field their best XIs across both T20I and ODI legs in England due to injuries.
The board is now taking steps in the next FTP to give players enough time for rest and recovery.
Fitness protocols
Working on next FTP for player welfare
Saikia said they are working on the next FTP with an aim to ensure proper rest for players and some kind of acclimatization or friendly matches before any major series in SENA countries.
He stressed that today's discussion was about maintaining the fitness level of every player and not any individual.
"What is in the best interest of the team, we have considered that only," he added.
Future strategy
India's packed schedule ahead
India's packed schedule for the next six months includes a T20I series against Afghanistan, an ODI and T20I series at home against West Indies, and a tour to New Zealand for five T20Is and two Tests.
After that, they will play white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home.
Saikia said Thursday's meeting was about having a roadmap for the next year leading into the 2027 ODI World Cup.