The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to hold a meeting of the Apex Council on 21st December just two days before the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction takes place in Kochi. The bidding war for players ahead of the 16th edition of the world’s richest cricket league is expected to take place on December 23.
According to information obtained from BCCI sources, the apex council are set to have a 12-point agenda which will include deciding the central contracts for the upcoming year and deciding on which players will be promoted, demoted, and left without contracts in their hand.
Moreover, venues for the home series are set to be ratified. The Indian cricket team are set to host Sri Lanka (3 ODIs and 3 T20Is), New Zealand (3 ODIs and 3 T20Is), and Australia (4 Tests, 3 ODIs) in a blockbuster home season that will will start in January and end in March to begin 2023 before the IPL season kicks off.
Another massive matter that could be a part of the agenda is the performance review of the Indian team on the back of their lackluster showing in the 2022 T20 World Cup where the Men in Blue suffered a humiliating defeat in the semi-finals at the hands of England by a margin of 10-wickets. This was followed by a new low as India lost an ODI series in Bangladesh for only the second time in history.
The future of Rohit Sharma as T20I skipper could be under question. Many have tipped Hardik Pandya to lead the team in the shortest format with the 2024 T20 World Cup on the radar and a detailed discussion and some clarity on the issue could come in this meeting.
It remains to be seen if the new selection committee is named by then or after the meeting.
