Former India pacer Praveen Kumar has slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), demanding equal rules for all players. When announcing the central contract in February, the country’s top cricket board made it clear that players who are fit and not playing for the national team will need to play for their respective domestic teams. Some speculations suggest that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have been removed from the BCCI’s reserved list of players as they were unable to represent their respective domestic teams despite their absence from the India tournament.

Iyer did play in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals and final for Mumbai, but both matches came after he was dropped from the BCCI contract list. Key, on the other hand, is yet to feature in any match for Jharkhand in this tournament.

Another player who has caught the attention of several critics is Hardik Pandya. The quality all-rounder remains in the ‘A’ category of the Central contract but many have questioned his availability in domestic cricket after retiring from the national team.

“Has Hardik Pandya come down from the moon? He has to play too. Why are there different rules? He has to threaten the board too. For him? BCCI should threaten him,” Kumar said on Shubhankar Mishra show Youtube channel.

Hardik has been out of international action since missing the 2023 Cricket World Cup due to an ankle injury. He recently recovered and played in the DY Patil T20 Cup ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League.

“Why are you playing only domestic T20 tournaments? Play in all three formats. Or you have played 60-70 Test matches and you will only play T20. The country needs you. If you don’t want to play Test cricket, then give it a try In writing,” Kumar said.

“Maybe Pandya has been informed that he will not be selected for the Test. I don’t have any clear information,” he added.

Hardik will lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. He will replace Rohit Sharma in the role.

Pandya returned to his previous team from Gujarat Titans (GT) in November last year as part of a deal between the two teams.

The all-round star spent two important years at GT, leading the side’s campaign in the cash-rich league with aplomb. In GT’s inaugural season in 2022, Hardik gave them a fairytale start as the team lifted the coveted trophy.

(with ANI input)