Indian batsman Robin Uthappa on Friday urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India to lift its ban and allow Indian players to take part in overseas T20 leagues. The BCCI does not allow Indian male players to play in overseas leagues until they have formally announced their retirement.
BCCI’s policy means that Indian players don’t have an opportunity to compete in foreign T20 leagues and makes it difficult for them to prolong their careers and make a living.
Last year, veteran all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was handed a No-Objection Certificate to by the BCCI to participate in the Global T20 Canada following the southpaw’s retirement.
“Please let us go, honest to God,” Uthappa told the BBC.
“It does hurt when we’re not allowed to go and play ... It would be so nice if we could go and play at least a couple of others because as a student of the game you want to learn and grow as much as you can.”
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Earlier, Suresh Raina and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan had also urged the BCCI to allow Indian players to compete in foreign T20 leagues who are not in contention for the national team.
However, Uthappa was hopeful that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly could bring about a change in BCCI’s policy in the near future.
“Ganguly is a very progressive thinking human being, someone who has always looked to take India to the next level. He actually laid the foundation for where India cricket is now. We’re hoping that he will look at this at some point,” said Uthappa.