Indian national coaches won't be allowed to coach IPL sides anymore according to new BCCI directives

Rahul Dravid had served as the Indian U19 team and the Delhi Daredevils 

What’s the story?

In a major announcement today, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) at the BCCI have stipulated that coaches of the Indian national team at any level will not be permitted to coach any other side (including IPL teams) during their stint. It also added that Indian national coaches will now get a contract of two years.

A CoA member explaining the terms of the contract while talking to Indian Express said, “Any new contract that the BCCI enters into will have to comply with the Lodha reforms. It can’t be in conflict. And the Lodha Committee recommendation clearly says that the national contracts should be of (at least) 12 months. So 10 months for the national team and two months with the IPL can no longer work.”

CoA chairman, Vinod Rai, also clarified the air surrounding the coaching conundrum and declared that all coaching contracts will be drafted for a two-year time frame. 

Related: Rahul Dravid asks BCCI for clarity on conflict-of-interest issue

In case you didn’t know...

Rahul Dravid has been the mentor of Delhi Daredevils for the past two seasons

Rahul Dravid is the head coach of the national U19 and India ‘A’ sides. Pertaining to his earlier contract, the former Indian captain could coach the Indian teams for ten months and take a two-month hiatus from it to mentor the Delhi Daredevils. 

The details

Following Ramchandra Guha’s fiery letter to Rai after the former’s resignation, the contract terms have now been changed, constraining individuals like Dravid to be a part of the support staff of any IPL team.

Complications in the coaching spectrum have been evident on the highest level as well. The speculation on whether or not Anil Kumble will be retained as the Indian coach has been gathering wind from all quarters. The former Indian spinner has a one-year contract with the BCCI that is set up expire on June 23.

However, the CoA has now declared that Kumble will be accompanying the team on its tour of the West Indies. 

What’s next?

Dravid will now have to choose between the national side and the IPL as he cannot continue to take up coaching roles in both the spheres. The 44-year-old is in the same boat as Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar, fielding coach R Shridar and physio Patrick Farhar.

In fact, any player who signs the contract will not be permitted to make any sort of coaching-centric connections with other cricket teams.

Author's take

This is a good decision by BCCI and will help retain clarity in the national-coaching circuit. The conflict of interest issue, which was raised in strong words in Guha’s letter, will so be put to rest once and for all.