Virat Kohli In Big Bash League? All You Need To Know
Cricket Australia (CA) is reportedly hopeful that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will revise its rules to allow non-retired Indian players to participate in overseas leagues.
Virat Kohli, one of the finest batters in world cricket, has already announced his retirement from T20Is and Test matches.
Going forward, he will represent India only in the ODI format. Amid growing speculation, it is believed that if Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wins their maiden IPL title tonight, Kohli may also consider retiring from the IPL.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) is reportedly hopeful that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will revise its rules to allow non-retired Indian players to participate in overseas leagues.
CA hopes Kohli features in BBL
CA CEO Todd Greenberg, in a virtual media interaction, expressed his desire to see Kohli feature in the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL). Previously, there were also reports that English county side Middlesex had shown interest in signing Kohli for the County Championship.
“That’s certainly some conversations that we will continue to have with the BCCI. I mean, I would love to see Virat Kohli playing in the BBL this year. That would certainly create some interest in crowds and ratings, I’m sure. But at the moment, that’s not happening, but we do have our ambitions to do those types of things. And as you’re seeing all over the world, T20 leagues are going down a lot of the private investment opportunities,” Greenberg said in a virtual media interaction by CA.
While it's highly unlikely that the BCCI will revise its stance on allowing active Indian players to participate in overseas leagues, one can’t help but imagine the spectacle it would be to see Virat Kohli back in T20 action on Australian soil - sharing the stage with stars like Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.
No change expected in BCCI's stance
“We’re seeing that in England recently with The Hundred. A number of the IPL franchises are now taking ownership stakes in The Hundred. We’ve got to continue to evolve and innovate the way we run our business here in Australia and making sure that we have an open mind to new things. But the short answer to that question is if we could find opportunities for Indian cricketers, either retired, recently retired, or current players, to play in the BBL, they’d be very welcome, and it’s a conversation we’ll continue to have,” Greenberg added.
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