The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has relaxed the one-year restriction for the children of transferred government employees to be considered local players.

After this new correction, the children of transferred government employees can be considered as a local player once the completion of submission of the parent’s transfer order and the Aadhaar card of the player with the new address. The CoA has taken the decision without consulting the BCCI technical committee.

Earlier, the players had to wait for one year’s stay in the new state to be considered themselves as the local players.

BCCI General Manager (cricket operations) Saba Karim wrote, “Under the instructions of the CoA, the BCCI, from this season onwards, has decided to relax the one-year rule laid down by the BCCI for a cricketer to be considered as a local player. Hence wards of government employees on transfer are eligible to play as a local player of that association, where the government employee has been transferred/posted subject to submission of parent’s transfer order and the Aadhaar card of the player bearing the new address.

“The additional qualification rule will be considered, only if that particular player’s parent(s) are transferred on a government job of that Association the players intend to play in particular season.”

This decision surprised to the state associations, especially those who were recently ineligible to be considered under BCCI’s old rules. While the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) had confusion about whether this new rules for the government employees or only for their children, CoA has clarified that the new rules will be applicable only for children.

The issue raised after the new domestic cricket team Puducherry fielded a number of outstation players during the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy in last month. After complaints, Puducherry had to withdraw those players.