Reports: SL and BAN players to be banned from playing IPL 2023

The 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is set to begin on March 31, and fans are ecstatic as the world's largest T20 competition returns to action. With the start of the tournament comes a packed schedule as well as a slew of injuries for several clubs.

Nonetheless, there have been various rumours that players from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh may be barred from participating in the IPL in the future. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has chosen its own course with the national team game calendar, as it does every season.

Only Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, and Mushfiqur Rahim will be available in the upcoming competition from April 9 to May 5, and again from May 15 onwards. Following this, the BCCI is said to be dissatisfied with their participation in the competition.

The first week of the event, however, will be missed by four Sri Lankan players: Wanindu Hasaranga, Matheesha Pathirana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Maheesh Theekshana, who will be with the national squad for the New Zealand tour.

The BCB president, Nazmul Hassan Papon, has declared that Bangladesh players will be unavailable for the IPL while they are on national duty.

"Franchises would be sceptical about picking players from certain countries if they are here to play the tournament partly,"

a BCCI official was quoted as saying by Inside Sport.

Recently, a franchise official spoke out about many of the players' unavailability and stated his concern about it. Curiously, despite the Indian board's displeasure, the franchises appear to support Bangladesh players in the hope that the situation will improve in the future.

"It is what it is. We can't complain because it's the BCCI that negotiates with other boards. But of course, franchises will be sceptical about picking players from certain countries. If you see, Taskin (Ahmed) did not get the NOC, and now this. If they don't want their players to play, they should not register. But, for sure, the perception about Bangladeshi players will change in the future,"

a franchise official was quoted as saying by Inside Sport.

Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings in the first game of the tournament on March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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