After the India Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia, raised a lot of questions over the performance of the India cricket team. The team led by Rohit Sharma and coached by Gautam Gambhir is about to be bound under a strict set of new BCCI rules.

Fallout from India Test Series Losses

India has lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in 10 years, and the BCCI knows it’s time to take action. To crack down on the star culture within the team, head coach Gautam Gambhir, after reviewing India Test series losses, introduced a 10-point policy in a meeting aimed at promoting ‘discipline and unity.’ Let’s take a look at the key policies.

What’s New in BCCI Rules？

10-point @BCCI policy makes domestic cricket mandatory, imposes restrictions on the presence of families and personal staff on tours and a ban on individual commercial endorsements during ongoing series. Non-compliance would invite sanctions. pic.twitter.com/mLBkksNcZj

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 17, 2025

Restricting Time Spent with Family During Tours

Cricketers’ wives and families are not permitted to accompany them on international tours, a rule that was put on hold during the COVID-19 outbreak but has again been reintroduced by the BCCI. This restriction is justified by the idea that having family around can impair a player’s concentration and general performance. Families are only permitted to accompany players on tours that last more than 45 days and remain for a maximum of two weeks under the new rules.

All Contracted Players Must Play Domestic Matches

BCCI would ask the players to participate in domestic cricket during the off-season after a break from a long series. These players must compete in domestic cricket events in India to be eligible for national team selection.

Other Policies to Highlight

Additionally, the BCCI has introduced several policies to strengthen team cohesion and promote collaboration, such as requiring all players to attend BCCI meetings and events. Players are not allowed to leave after a match and must return with the team. During series or tours, no player is allowed to do personal filming without permission. From these BCCI rules, it is clear that they want players to prioritize teamwork and collective action.

Star Players Face Salary Cuts？

The recent India test series loss has forced the team management and the stakeholders – Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar, and other leaders, to make strict decisions. One is that the pay structure will be changed to a corporate style and the players will receive pay based on their performance. Rewards will be there if a player performs exceptionally well, and pay cuts will be there if a player does not perform up to the mark, as per the new BCCI rules. This move will allow the players to focus more on red-ball cricket and play more sensibly and carefully. This new development comes after a few people in the management committee started feeling that high IPL salaries have led players to concentrate more on shorter formats and take test cricket for granted.

An anonymous BCCI source revealed that “There was discussion about whether the current players were a bit indifferent when India loses a Test match. The team management understands the value of Test cricket, but many players don’t give it enough importance.” We expect that this is all linked to the India test series loss in recent times, and the BCCI wants the players to shift their interests to the red-ball format and prioritise it more. However, a kind of similar system of BCCI rules is already in place where the players who feature in 50% or more test matches in a year receive an incentive of INR 30 lakhs per game, and those who play in 75% or more matches receive INR 45 lakhs per match.

What Happens If Not Following BCCI Rules？

To emphasize the seriousness of violating these regulations, the BCCI stated that any player who fails to comply may face disciplinary action, including being banned from the IPL, and having their annual contracts and match fees deducted. The introduction of rules aims to promote discipline and unity within the team, but how the players will respond remains to be seen, especially since some players are accustomed to bringing their own chefs on tours to manage their diet.

Conclusion

Following a review meeting in Mumbai that was attended by captain Rohit Sharma, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and BCCI authorities, this decision was made. After all, India Test series loss led to their disqualification from the WTC 2024-25 final. Whether these new regulations will effectively strengthen the unity of the India team and how the players will respond remains to be seen.