"Takes Toll On Health": BCCI Makes Big Statement On IPL Factor In Constant Injuries To India Stars
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia pointed to the demanding schedule, including the two-month IPL stint before India's England assignment, as a factor that can contribute to injuries.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday held a review meeting to assess India's recent struggles on overseas assignments and address growing concerns over player workload and injuries, with BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia saying the board has chalked out a strategy for future tours to SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries and will look to restructure the Future Tours Programme (FTP) to provide players with adequate rest and acclimatisation. Along with Saikia, India Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman and top BCCI officials were also present at the meeting held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
India's recent struggles in overseas assignments provided the backdrop to the review meeting, with the Men in Blue suffering a 2-0 T20I series defeat against Ireland, followed by a 4-0 loss to England in the shortest format. They also went down 2-1 in the ODI series in England.
Speaking to reporters, Saikia admitted that India's performances in Ireland and England required introspection and said the board has discussed a strategy for future tours to SENA countries.
"Yes, we did not do well. You all know that we lost matches in Ireland and also in England in the T20 and ODI; we also lost by 2-1, so we wanted to know what the reasons are. We have to do certain soul-searching about that, and in future, what we will be doing before going to any of the SENA countries; we have chalked out some strategy on that," he said.
Player fitness and the mounting workload on cricketers were also discussed at length. Saikia pointed to the demanding schedule, including the two-month IPL stint before India's England assignment, as a factor that can contribute to injuries.
Notably, ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana have been included in India's squad for the upcoming three-match T20I home series against Afghanistan, subject to fitness clearance.
Bumrah's last international match came against England on July 16, at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. He was subsequently ruled out of the final ODI at Lord's, with the BCCI attributing his absence to an impact injury sustained while fielding in Cardiff. Bumrah also missed India's Test series against Sri Lanka, which the visitors won 1-0.
Another player under the spotlight is all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who continues his comeback from injury. Pandya has been sidelined since the IPL 2026 season after initially being troubled by back stiffness before sustaining a thigh injury.
The all-rounder subsequently missed India's limited-overs series against Afghanistan, the ODI and T20I tour of England, and the white-ball series in Zimbabwe. He has not featured in competitive cricket since captaining Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, when the five-time champions failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Saikia said the players are picking up injuries due to a packed schedule. He highlighted the toll a busy schedule takes on their health and said efforts are being made to find ways to manage player workload within the existing windows and Future Tours Programme (FTPs).
"Individually players are having injuries because they are they have to play lot of matches if you look at their schedule if you look at in England we have 15 players team went for the ODI and out of that 15 three four players got injured during the match but we have to think about they have played two months of IPL prior to that so all this takes toll takes toll on the health of the players also and to avoid those kind of situations what best we can do under the present windows and present FTP's we are trying to find out some ways out," he said.
Saikia stressed that the review was not aimed at any individual player and that the BCCI was instead looking at broader fitness policies and protocols.
"There was no discussion on any individual player today this was today's discussion was totally general in nature and what policy and what protocols we have to maintain regarding maintaining the fitness level of every player not any individual and what is best interest of the team we have considered that only and we have taken the feedbacks from the captains and the head coach who are the right persons to give us the information so that we chalk up a proper strategy to avoid all these kind of unwanted situations during any international or bilateral matches," he said.
Saikia said that while internal operations and coaching teams across men's, women's, and Centre of Excellence (CoE) divisions are well-coordinated, high match volume remains a key issue. To prevent player fatigue, Saikia said, the BCCI plans to restructure the upcoming FTP to prioritise adequate rest, proper acclimatisation, and warm-up matches ahead of major series in SENA countries.
"Everybody is on the same page BCCI is working in a very well like a well-oiled engine there is proper coordination amongst all the wings of BCCI whether it is women's team committees or their technical staff or their coaches vis-a-vis the COE vis-a-vis the Indian men's team's coaching staff and the head coach there is no difficulty in the coordination everything is moving in the right direction the only challenges which we are facing is that there are too many matches in the year and that is why in the next FTP we'll do certain things we'll take certain measures we have instructed our FTP persons who will be meeting very soon in various international forums that our FTP should be in such a way it should be scheduled that there is proper rest for the players as well as some kind of acclimatization or some kind of friendly matches before any major series in SENA countries," he said.
Saikia also revealed that the BCCI Selection Committee chairman, Ajit Agarkar, was not present at the meeting as he was out of station.
"Today he was out of station he could not be a part of the meeting because it was this meeting was called at a very short notice and our head of the selection committee Ajit he was not in town so he could not join it and he was in such area that he could not join online also in spite of our best efforts today," Saikia said.
India's immediate assignments include the 2026 Asian Games men's campaign, a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at home, and a three-T20I and five-match ODI series against West Indies at home. After that, the team will play five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Tests against New Zealand in an away assignment, three ODIs and three T20Is at home against Sri Lanka, three ODIs and three T20Is at home against Zimbabwe, and a five-Test series against Australia, also at home.
Saikia also said the BCCI would take appropriate measures to ensure the best facilities for India's players and support staff at the Asian Games if the need arises, though Saikia said the matter was not part of Thursday's meeting.
"There is no such issue which we have discussed or which is in our agenda today or prior to today also so we are not going to have any difficulties in Japan if any kind of situation arises we'll take a appropriate call at the right time and so that we ensure that our players and the support staff will get the best of facilities in Asian Games whether it is from their organizers if required BCCI will have its own system in place to provide the best facilities to our players."
Notably, Saikia's remarks regarding the facilities at the Asian Games in Japan come after a BCCI source previously told ANI that Team India might be sending a "B" team for the cricket tournament at the Games because the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the BCCI are unhappy with the facilities and arrangements in Japan.
The Asian Games will begin in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 19. The dates of the women's and men's cricket competitions are September 17–22 and September 24–October 3, respectively.
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India Cricket Team
Jasprit Bumrah
Hardik Pandya