The majority of the World Cup squad is likely to be rested with fringe players set to get opportunities

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Nov-2023Hardik Pandya will not be part of India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against Australia which begins on November 23, four days after the ODI World Cup. ESPNcricinfo has learned that India’s squad for the T20I series is scheduled to be picked on November 15, the same day Rohit Sharma’s team faces New Zealand in the World Cup semi-finals in Mumbai.It is understood that Hardik, who tore a ligament in his left ankle in the World Cup league match against Bangladesh on October 19, was advised six to eight weeks of rest by the BCCI medical staff. The medical staff was initially optimistic about Hardik recovering in time to play in India’s last league match against Netherlands on November 12. However, the swelling failed to recede, causing pain during the fitness tests Hardik underwent before he was eventually ruled out of the tournament, with Prasidh Krishna named his replacement.Related

• Wade to captain Australia in T20I series against India

• Hardik Pandya out of World Cup with ankle injury

• Dravid after Hardik exit: 'Enough quality in our top seven to look after itself'

It is understood that the majority of the World Cup squad is likely to be rested, with the group selected for the Australia T20Is likely to feature most players who were part of the Asian Games in October. The Indian team, which had won the gold medal at the event in Hangzhou, was led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma featured in that squad.The selection panel, led by former India allrounder Ajit Agarkar, will be mindful of the senior Indian team’s workload in the past two months, a period in which they have played the Asia Cup and the World Cup.It is also understood that VVS Laxman is set to be the head coach for the T20I series against Australia. It could not be confirmed what the BCCI plans to do about Rahul Dravid whose two-year contract will end after the World Cup.

Plus, how much does each franchise have left to spend on their auction shopping?

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Dec-2023

Chennai Super Kings

Purse available: INR 31.40 crore (USD 3.77 million approx.)
Slots left: 6 (3 overseas)
Key positions to be filled: A replacement for Ambati Rayudu. They need another Indian batter for the middle order as well, ideally a power-hitter. Also, an overseas fast bowler who maybe doubles up as an allrounder, and an Indian fast bowler.
Current squad: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Chowdhary, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana
The now-retired Ambati Rayudu played some crucial knocks for Chennai Super Kings as impact sub last season•Getty Images

Mumbai Indians

Purse available: INR 17.75 crore (USD 2.13 million approx.)
Slots left: 8 (4 overseas)

Key positions to be filled: The dominant Mumbai Indians teams of the past have always comprised two overseas fast bowlers, one of them being an allrounder, so expect them to look out for those skillsets. One of those could also be a spin-bowling allrounder.

Current squad: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd

Gujarat Titans

Related

• Franchises tend to overpay at T20 auctions for World Cup stars, and probably will this year too

• IPL 2024 auction: Five uncapped Indians to watch out for

• Hardik will be challenged on and off the field at Mumbai Indians

• Mumbai Indians trade Hardik from Titans and trade Green to RCB

• RCB release Hazlewood, Hasaranga; KKR let Shardul go

Purse available: INR 38.15 crore (USD 4.58 million approx.)
Slots left: 8 (2 overseas)
Key positions to be filled: While like-for-like might be tough, they need a replacement for Hardik Pandya – a batting or bowling allrounder, perhaps an overseas option. Also, an overseas fast bowler in place of Alzarri Josesph. And an Indian keeper-batter as a back-up for Wriddhiman Saha.
Current squad: David Miller, Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Josh Little, Mohit Sharma
How do you fill a Hardik Pandya-sized hole in your squad?•BCCI

Kolkata Knight Riders

Purse available: INR 32.70 crore (USD 3.92 million approx.)
Slots left: 12 (4 overseas)
Key positions to be filled: Two overseas quicks, including one with all-round skills. And an Indian keeper-batter.
Current squad: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Suyash Sharma, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Purse available: INR 23.25 crore (USD 2.79 millon approx.)
Slots left: 6 (3 overseas)

Key positions to be filled: Replacements for Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel. An overseas fast bowler to replace Josh Hazlewood. Also, an Indian allrounder or finisher to replace Shahbaz Ahmed, who transferred to Sunrisers Hyderabad via a trade.
Current squad: Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Cameron Green, Mayank Dagar
Having released Harshal Patel, and several other big names from their bowling attack, RCB have some shopping to do•BCCI

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Purse available: INR 34 crore (USD 4.08 million approx.)
Slots left: 6 (3 overseas)
Key positions to be filled: Overseas allrounder (batting or bowling), and an Indian batter. Also, an overseas wristspinner.
Current squad: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Sanvir Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Mayank Markande, Shahbaz Ahmed

Delhi Capitals

Purse available: INR 28.95 crore (USD 3.47 million approx.)
Slots left: 9 (4 overseas)

Key positions to be filled: An overseas fast-bowling allrounder, an Indian keeper-batter, and an Indian finisher.
Current squad: Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar
Released by Punjab Kings, Shahrukh Khan could be a big pull at the auction•AFP via Getty Images

Punjab Kings

Purse available: INR 29.10 crore (USD 3.49 million approx.)
Slots left: 8 (2 overseas)
Key positions to be filled: An Indian batting allrounder to replace Shahrukh Khan, who was released. An overseas fast-bowling allrounder.
Current squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shivam Singh, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Bhatia

Rajasthan Royals

Purse available: INR 14.50 crore (USD 1.74 million approx.)
Slots left: 8 (3 overseas)

Key positions to be filled: An overseas batter or batting allrounder, and an overseas fast bowler as back-up for Trent Boult.
Current squad: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan
Who can be Trent Boult’s back-up for Rajasthan Royals?•Associated Press

Lucknow Super Giants

Purse available: INR 13.15 crore (USD 1.58 million approx.)
Slots left: 6 (2 overseas)

Key position to be filled: A replacement for Avesh Khan, who was traded to Rajasthan Royals; this could be an Indian allrounder, too.

Current squad: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal

He is hopeful of being the player chosen to replace David Warner in the Test side

AAP31-Dec-20230:52

Clarke: Warner seemed ‘bothered’ by the criticism

Cameron Bancroft insists a specialist opener would be best placed to take over from the retiring David Warner, believing experience at the top is crucial in the difficult role.Australia have named an unchanged 13-man squad for this week’s third Test against Pakistan at the SCG, but crunch time is coming in the quest to replace Warner as he bids farewell to the Test arena.Bancroft remains one of the leading contenders, with selectors set to make a decision ahead of the Adelaide Test against West Indies on January 17.Related

• Bancroft has no concerns over relationships with Australia's bowlers

• Cummins doesn't want to 'disrupt' batting order by pushing Smith up top

• 'I'm pretty keen' – Steven Smith wants to open the batting in Tests

• Ben McDermott fires on return as Hurricanes thrash Thunder

• Warner picks Warner's replacement: 'Harris has always been next in line'

Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw can also make a fair claim for the job, but coach Andrew McDonald has refused to rule out going with a non-specialist opener instead.McDonald on Saturday left the door ajar for Cameron Green to replace Warner, while another batter could theoretically shift to the top to accommodate Green’s return.But when asked whether it would be an easier job for a specialist opener, Bancroft was adamant that was the case.”Yeah, absolutely,” he told AAP. “I’ve opened the batting in Shield cricket for over 10 years. It’s not an easy place to bat.  It comes with challenges, and my whole career I’ve problem-solved trying to find ways to flourish in those sort of circumstances.”Some players have switched and gone and opened the batting and done really well. But not everyone puts their hand up to go and open the batting.”I feel like it probably is a specialist position and it’s certainly a really challenging one. But a very rewarding one as well.”Cameron Bancroft has had two very productive Sheffield Shield seasons•Getty Images

Bancroft’s comments come after Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer and Mike Hussey each made similar arguments this week.If Australia do go with a specialist opener, Bancroft has made the strongest case of any contender in recent years.He was the leading run-scorer in last summer’s Sheffield Shield with 945 runs at an average of 59.06, and again tops this season’s charts with 512 at 56.88.Harris and Renshaw have both been part of Australian squads in that time, while Bancroft has not featured since being dropped during a poor 2019 Ashes.”I’ve had some conversations [with selectors] over the last 12 months or so and asked some questions about what I can do to improve,” Bancroft said.  “I’m always looking to improve and get better. I wanted that feedback from them.”But I guess it always comes down to scoring runs, so I’ve just tried to go out and do the best I can no matter what format of the game that I’ve been playing.”Bancroft is also hopeful runs in the BBL will help his cause, with Sydney Thunder to play games against Hobart and Perth before the Adelaide Test.The opener is the competition’s second leading run-scorer, with 181 from his opening five games.”Runs are runs,” Bancroft said.  “There’s no red-ball cricket, obviously. So coming out and playing in the Big Bash is the format of the game that I can play in right now.”Selectors have always talked about players scoring runs and things like that, and that runs count. And I’d agree with that.”Anyone that’s in a position to go to the next level, you want them to be scoring runs. I’ve just tried to tried to do that no matter what format of the game.  Hopefully that puts me in a position to be selected.”

League commissioner says since a majority of their players are South African, they need not fear losing internationals to competing leagues

Firdose Moonda13-Feb-20241:09

Graeme Smith: SA20 and Test clash should never happen again

The SA20’s reliance on a mostly local talent base will shield it from any major impact around the poaching of international talent to other leagues, according to commissioner Graeme Smith.Speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of the second season of the SA20, from where 12 overseas players jetted off to join the ILT20, Smith was not overly concerned about their movements because he felt the core of the SA20 player pool remains strong.”If you take a step back, we are a majority-based South African league. The majority of our players in playing XIs are South African. We are blessed to be able to attract top international talent who want to play here,” he said. “When we were building SA20, there was no confidence in South Africa cricket that we were able to pull it off at this level.”But we have done that. FTPs [Future Tour Programme for international cricket] are tough. Noor Ahmad got pulled out the day before the playoffs because he was selected for Afghanistan. But if we look at what we’ve created in two years – it’s amazing. We’ve gone from a place where international talent hasn’t backed our league, to where they want to be a part of it.”The SA20 was South Africa’s third attempt at a franchise T20 tournament – after the Global League T20 was abandoned in 2017 and the Mzansi Super League failed to secure a broadcaster – and has, so far, been a resounding success despite schedule clashes and a direct competitor in the UAE’s International League T20, which runs concurrently.However, Smith has always underlined that the major difference between the SA20 and the ILT20 is player composition, with South Africa drawing from an existing talent pool – this season only 37 out of the 99 players who featured in at least one match were foreign – while the ILT20 is made up mostly of an overseas contingent. And that, he says, is why league overlaps will affect the ILT20 more. “The challenge with ILT20 is they are consuming nine or ten international players per playing XI plus squad members, so it’s a lot of players to keep the ship moving.”The six SA20 team captains and league commissioner Graeme Smith pose with the trophy•Sportzpics

While the ICC recently agreed to a cap of four internationals for all new T20 leagues, the existence of the ILT20 as it is has already created concerns around player availability and management. ESPNcricinfo’s Matt Roller considered the clashes and proposed some solutions including cooling-off periods and restriction of NOCs, as endorsed by Ricky Ponting, but Smith did not agree. “It is very difficult to restrict talent,” he said. “The NOC discussion in itself is a challenge for the world game. It’s way more complicated than me answering you now behind the scenes legally and with what goes on.”Another concern for both leagues is a potential clash with next year’s Champions Trophy, which the FTP has pencilled in for mid-February to early March. Although the SA20 concludes by February 10, South Africa are due to play a triangular ODI series in Pakistan ahead of the tournament and there is also the possibility that the SA20 will clash with the preparation window for other national teams. Might that mean a shift for the SA20 dates? “We will have to consider everything,” Smith said. “The Champions Trophy dates are not set in stone. We will work with the ICC and CSA and once we’ve got confirmed information we can make informed decisions.”Related

• David Wiese: 'You can understand why players would want to get knocked out early from one T20 league to play another'

• 'A broken sport': Franchise free-for-all compromises players' incentives

• India, Australia and England boards should do more for Test cricket – Johnny Grave

• ICC agrees overseas players cap for new T20 leagues

Should there be a direct clash, it will be the third time in as many seasons that the SA20 will be affected by international cricket. In the first season, the SA20 had to take a break to accommodate South Africa’s must-play World Cup Super League ODI series against England. In the second season, it had far bigger impact because it clashed with a two-Test series in New Zealand and because South Africa’s first-choice players were legally obliged to compete in the SA20, a makeshift Test squad was selected.While CSA tried to negotiate with New Zealand Cricket to find better dates, the overwhelming feeling in South African cricket, and it seems from the SA20, is that more should have been done to ensure the Tests were moved. “This scheduling issue should never have happened,” Smith, who considers himself a lover of Test cricket, said. “It’s disappointing. We are disappointed at what has happened. And we need to work together to make sure it does not happen again.”Smith was also quick to point out that CSA is not the only board battling to ensure they have their best players available all the time. He used West Indies as his strongest example of another. “The challenges are much deeper than this scheduling issue. We heard (CWI CEO) Johnny Grave speak after an incredible Test win (in Australia) and they lost over a million dollars on that trip,” Smith said.Grave spoke to ESPNcricinfo last month and called for a radical shift in the ICC’s revenue model to help support Test teams outside of the Big Three [Australia, England and India]. The same issue has been addressed by the MCC World Cricket Committee, who met on the sidelines of the SA20 last week and recommended the current model of home teams retaining all proceeds from tours to be looked at to ensure a more equitable distribution.”These discussions need to be happen at bilateral level,” Smith said “You only earn money when you are hosting tours. India plays more cricket than anybody else but with touring, a lot of other teams earn good revenue. But outside the top three – how does an SA or a WI keep all three formats strong?”

“He’s the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot stronger,” says Ponting

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2024Four-hundred-and-fifty-three days since he last played a competitive match, India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is “jittery” to resume playing cricket on Saturday afternoon when he will lead Delhi Capitals in their IPL opener against hosts Punjab Kings. The hiatus was forced on Pant after a life-threatening car crash on December 30, 2022, from which he successfully recovered after extensive rehab.”Jittery, nervous, excited – all of it,” Pant described his emotional state on the eve of his first IPL match in two years, having sat out the 2023 season. “But at the same time, just happy being able to come back to professional cricket. I’m just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow.”As soon as the BCCI’s medical team had declared Pant fit, both as a wicketkeeper and batter, Pant flew to join the franchise’s preparatory camp in Visakhapatnam, where Capitals will play home matches in the schedule announced so far. Like a kid who had been kept away from doing his favourite thing, Pant batted obsessively in the nets, according to Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting.Related

• Rishabh Pant is back – celebrating life, loving cricket

• Inside the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Punjab's new open-air venue in Mullanpur

• Pant's return eclipses all else as Kings vs Capitals launches IPL's 36th venue

Pant felt he did that because he wanted to practise as much as possible and give himself “the best chance to become a better cricketer”.Ponting described Pant as the “heartbeat” of the team. “There’s no doubt last year we missed our captain, we missed one of the best players in the world,” he said. “Just his attitude, his smile, the way he goes about his cricket, he’s a winner. He wants to win games.”He wants to do the best he can for the team all the time. And when you have that attitude coming back into a team, that’s infectious. Everyone wants to be like Rishabh and play the way that he plays his cricket. He’s our leader. He’s the heartbeat of this franchise and having him back is going to make this team a lot better and a lot stronger.”Ponting the coach is usually a positive and smiling person, but Pant’s return has got him super excited for the new season as Capitals attempt to win the IPL for the first time. “The fact that he is back smiling puts a smile on my face as well. Knowing that I’ve got my captain back, knowing that I’ve got one of the best players in the world in all three formats back in my team, I’m smiling, his team-mates are all smiling.”

Lancashire say groundstaff safety taken into consideration over decision not to remove covers

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network07-Apr-2024The Vitality County Championship match between Lancashire and Surrey looks certain to end in a draw after only 21 balls were bowled on the third day of the game at Emirates Old Trafford.Surrey had progressed to 15 without loss in their first innings when rain forced an early lunch to be taken at 1.10pm. During the interval, the entire square and bowlers’ run-ups were covered in anticipation of heavy showers, and safety concerns about strong winds prevented the covers’ removal, though no rain was falling when the game was due to restart.Surrey were understood to be confused by the lack of movement with the covers. Head coach Gareth Batty walked out to the middle during this period, clearly irked the defending champions were unable to build on Friday’s work after dismissing Lancashire for 202 inside 73 overs. The expected rain eventually arrived at 2.30pm. Play was eventually abandoned after a 4pm inspection.ECB match referee Mike Smith defended the stance from Old Trafford head grounds manager Matt Merchant that removing the covers would have been dangerous given the conditions, which was backed up by the home club’s safety officer.”After lunch, when it was dry, the head grounds manager, Matt Merchant, said that it was so windy that it would put the health and safety of his staff at risk to ask his staff to remove the covers,” Smith explained. “We didn’t want anyone to be hurt, either by being lifted in the air or slapped by the flat sheets in that wind.”Lancashire’s safety officer thought that was a reasonable position but we did say that the flat sheets should be removed if the wind dropped to an acceptable level. However, we didn’t get to that stage because the rain returned and curtailed the rest of the day’s play.”I haven’t come across such a situation before. But I understand that they were not going to be using the flat sheets at Edgbaston because Gary Barwell, the head groundsman, said he would not be asking his staff to put the flat sheets on in that wind. And it is dangerous to be manoeuvring very heavy flat sheets in wind like that.”Should weather allow any cricket to take place on the final day, the match is now likely to become a battle for first-innings bonus points as Surrey’s batters build a reply to Lancashire’s first innings. Dom Sibley is currently 6 not out and Surrey skipper Rory Burns is unbeaten on 5.

Cummins, meanwhile, was “just thinking Super Over” in nail-biting finish against Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-20243:17

‘We saw the vintage Bhuvi today’

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins “didn’t really think” his team had the game in the bag till the very last ball was bowled, and was glad to come out on the right side of a thriller against Rajasthan Royals.”Amazing game. That last ball I kind of forgot if we take a wicket, we could win. I was just thinking Super Over,” Cummins said.Chasing 202, Royals lost Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson in the first over but Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag set up the chase with a 134-run stand for the third wicket. Royals already had the finishing line in sight at the end of 15 overs, when they needed 45 to win off 30 balls with seven wickets in hand and a set Parag at the crease. But Cummins came back to take out Parag, T Natarajan dismissed Shimron Hetmyer, and then Cummins bowled a nerveless 19th over where he went for just seven runs leaving Bhuvneshwar Kumar 12 to defend off the last. Rovman Powell brought down the equation to two off one, but Bhuvneshwar kept his cool as he speared in a low full toss to ping the batter right in front and send the Hyderabad crowd into a frenzy.”It is T20 cricket, we get used to batters getting them over the line but when you get to that last over, you do feel like anything can happen,” Cummins said. “And yeah Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar] just nailed six yorkers pretty much.”Bhuvneshwar, who took home the Player of the Match award for his figures of 3 for 41, said his mind was blank while bowling the last over, emphasising that his focus was on the process rather than the result.”I told everyone process is a very important thing. I was virtually thoughtless; I was not thinking about the result. I was just trying to do what I can do,” he said after the game. “I knew if I could bowl just two good balls, and if it went to the last ball, I knew anything could happen. It was a full toss, I know, and he missed it.”Pat Cummins bowled a stunning 19th where he conceded only seven•BCCI

SRH were also forced to have an extra fielder inside the circle as a penalty for not bowling their overs in time. But that did not bother Bhuvneshwar. “I was not thinking about the one extra fielder up, or whatever the restriction was, I was detached from the result. I wasn’t thinking about where the fielder is. I was so focused on the process; that was the only thing I was doing,” he said.It’s not been the best of seasons for Bhuvneshwar, who has gone wicketless in five of ten games so far. But on a day when the ball swung considerably under lights, the Bhuvneshwar of old came into his own. In the first over of the chase, he first removed Buttler with an outswinger that was edged to slip and then made a mess of Samson’s stumps with a peach of an inswinger.”It was the first match the ball swung so much,” he said. “I can’t really pinpoint where the ball swung last, but the way it swing I really enjoyed it. When it swings, you are always on top of the game, you try to take wickets and luckily, I got wickets.”That SRH reached 201 was down to Nitish Kumar Reddy’s stylish 76 off 42, during which he strung together vital partnerships with Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. Cummins was all praise for how Reddy went about it. “He is fantastic,” Cummins said.”He sums up the conditions really well, took the first ten balls to get himself in and then hit the ball basically wherever he wanted. He is amazing, great in the field, and gives a couple of handy overs [with the ball] as well.”

Victoria received special extension from Cricket Australia on Pucovski’s contract as his playing future is to be decided by a medical panel in coming weeks

Alex Malcolm03-May-2024A decision on Will Pucovski’s playing future has been delayed with Victoria receiving a special exemption from Cricket Australia (CA) on his state contract after his assessment with a medical panel was pushed back due to the fact he had suffered extended symptoms from his latest concussion in March.Cricket Victoria (CV) finally released their contract list on Friday after weeks of delays, which included new signing Josh Brown from Queensland, but Pucovski’s name has an asterisk next to it. The 26-year-old came out of contract last season and his playing future is yet to be determined due to his latest concussion.Victoria has offered Pucovski a contract for 2024-25 but has received an exemption from CA to withhold committing to that contract until after he has been assessed by a joint medical panel which will comprise CV, CA and independent medical experts. The panel is being convened to assess his situation and map out his future due to the alarming number of concussions he has had in his career so far. The assessment with the panel has been delayed because Pucovski was still suffering concussion symptoms six weeks on from his latest hit in March, although those symptoms are understood to have finally eased.Related

• Pucovski announces retirement from cricket due to concussion

• Australian cricket has a Will Pucovski problem

• Seccombe and McKay join Renegades and Stars as high performance managers

• Josh Brown joins Melbourne Renegades in BBL coup

• Philippe and Maddinson make move to New South Wales

Pucovski was hit in the head in his last Sheffield Shield match on March 3 when he ducked into a bouncer from Riley Meredith in Victoria’s clash with Tasmania in Hobart. That blow ended his Australian domestic season and saw him withdraw from his county championship stint with Leicestershire.It is understood Pucovski’s symptoms have improved in recent weeks but there has been serious concern over how long the symptoms lasted after the blow in March. He could not convene with the panel until his symptoms had fully subsided. That is now likely to happen in the coming weeks and a decision on his future will be made after that.Victoria’s general manager of cricket performance Graham Manou confirmed that Pucovski would be offered a contract but that it was contingent on medical advice.”Understandably there will be a lot of interest in Will Pucovski and what the future holds,” Manou said. “The most important part of this process is Will, and his health and wellbeing. Cricket Victoria is working closely with Cricket Australia and the expert medical panel that is due to meet soon to review Will’s history. We’ll take the advice from that panel on the appropriate way forward this season.”If Pucovski cannot continue playing it is understood there will be significant injury compensation for him and support services available via CV and CA but he will not be formally contracted within Victoria’s domestic salary cap.There were hopes earlier this year that Pucovski might be returning to his best form after scoring a century against New South Wales at the SCG, re-igniting the possibility of adding to his lone Test appearance. There was optimism from Pucovski too that he had a better understanding of how his concussions and mental-health issues were linked.”I sort of link the mental-health stuff back to my first concussion…which was when I was about 15 or 16,” Pucovski had told the in February. “I have a lot of concussion symptoms that over a seven or eight year period, actually never subsided.”You just sort of got used to having them in a way. The brain’s pretty amazing and can find ways to adapt. I would fail concussion tests in the exact same way every single time, regardless of whether I had been hit in the head, and that was over a seven or eight year period.”The mental health has been a much bigger issue for me than even the concussions.”I don’t fear for my long-term health, it’s more the mental-health side that’s been the tougher part.”One day I’ll be ready to tell my whole story and it will probably make a lot more sense. I’ve explained what I’ve been through to my inner circle of people and actually all the responses I’ve got have been like ‘Jesus, I would never have guessed that in a million years, that doesn’t even make sense to me’.”It hasn’t made sense to me for years, either, but I’ve been on this pathway to understand it all.”BBL star Josh Brown has been contracted to play for Victoria in the Marsh Cup•Getty Images

Victoria’s contract list featured some new faces after some recent departures. Nic Maddinson has headed back to NSW for family reasons while Shield-winning captain Travis Dean has not been offered a contract after his place in the side last season. Legspinner Wil Parker has also lost his contract.That has opened the door for Brown to be included after he recently signed with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL. Brown will add some dynamism to Victoria’s Marsh Cup side after making his first appearance in List A cricket for Queensland late last season following his stunning finish to the BBL.Victoria have also added Australia Under-19 World Cup winner Harry Dixon onto the rookie list. Dixon was close to earning a contract last year after his excellent performances at Under-19 level. Fellow left-hander Dylan Brasher has been given a full contract after making 79 not out against Pakistan in a tour match last year and producing strong performances at Second XI level for Victoria and an excellent Premier Cricket season for his club side Footscray.Victoria were frustrated to lose young quick Brody Couch to Western Australia after offering him a contract.Victorian contract list 2024-2025: Liam Blackford, Scott Boland (CA contract), Dylan Brasher, Josh Brown, Ashley Chandrasinghe, Xavier Crone, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Glenn Maxwell (CA), Cameron McClure, Jono Merlo, Todd Murphy (CA), Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Will Pucovski (pending medical advice), Tom Rogers, Matt Short, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Douglas Warren