BCCI makes U-Turn on Asian Games 2023; agrees to send men women cricket teams

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which had previously claimed that it had prior obligations, has changed its mind and will now send both men’s and women’s teams to the Asian Games 2023, where the game would be played in the T20 format.

Because the main team will be engaged in the 50-over World Cup, which will be played at home, the men’s team will be a B squad as per The Indian Express. The top women’s team will, however, be competing at the Asiad.

From September 23 to October 8, China’s Hangzhou will host the Asian Games, and from October 5 to November 23, the ICC World Cup.

Before June 30, the BCCI will send the Indian Olympic Association the list of players.

In both the 2010 and 2014 Asiads, cricket was played, however India did not enter a team.

Cricket has been added to the schedule for the Hangzhou Games, which were originally scheduled for last year but were postponed owing to China’s zero-Covid policy.

Cricket was excluded from the 2018 Asiad in Jakarta.

On whether the board will also send a women’s squad, there is uncertainty.

Prior commitments were the explanation given earlier by the Indian board for not joining the men’s and women’s teams for the continental major event.

According to Bhupender Bajwa, India’s chef de mission for the Asian Games, “We have entries in all sports with the exception of one – the cricket (team) isn’t going.”

“They claimed to be distracted. When we had to give entries to the organisers, they responded that they wouldn’t go despite our three or four emails to them.”

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