NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has responded to allegations made by former South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs that it was trying to prevent him from playing the Kashmir Premier League (KPL), saying that Indian board was “well within its rights” to take decisions with respect to its cricketing ecosystem.
Talking to an Indian news agency, a BCCI official said, “The PCB must understand that even if Gibb’s statement is assumed to be true, the BCCI would be well within their rights to take decisions with respect to the cricketing ecosystem in India.”
“The fact that the Indian cricketing ecosystem is the most sought after for cricketing opportunities globally, should not be envied by the PCB,” the official added.
The BCCI official further said the PCB was “confused” and that allowing or disallowing anyone from playing cricket in India was “purely an internal matter” and no different than the restriction on Pakistani-origin players from participating in IPL.
Commenting on the PCB’s intent to take up the issue with the ICC, the official said, “They are welcome to raise the matter at the ICC and one can understand where this is coming from but the question that they need to ask themselves is whether it is on account of government interference in their working since the prime minister of Pakistan is officially their patron as per their own constitution.”
Earlier, South African cricketer Gibbs had accused BCCI Secretary Jay Shah of threatening to deny him entry into India if he participated in the upcoming KPL 2021.
The Kashmir Premier League T20 2021 is the first edition of the KPL. Of the six teams playing in the inaugural season, five teams are from Azad Kashmir while the sixth one is from outside the region.
The league is the second T20 competition arranged by the PCB after the Pakistan Super League and is set to play from August 6-17 in Muzaffarabad.
