Australia’s Cameron Green has been roped in by Mumbai Indians for a whopping Rs 17.50 Crore for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 but he will be available to play only as a batter till April 13. This has come after Cricket Australia issued workload management policy guidelines for pacers that franchises must follow.
On the morning of the auction, Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) CEO and IPL COO Hemang Amin wrote in the email to the 10 franchises, “Cricket Australia has informed this morning that Cameron Green (player No. 8) will be fully available. However, if he features in all the four Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Green will not be able to bowl for four weeks from the conclusion of the fourth Test scheduled from 9th March to 13th March, 2023.”
The 23-year-old all-rounder is currently undergoing treatment for an injured finger which has ruled him out of the third Test between Australia and South Africa slated to begin on Wednesday. It is to be noted that Green became the second-highest paid player in the auction and it will be quite interesting to see what kind of role he gets in IPL. Meanwhile, IPL franchises are also concerned about BCCI’s workload statement. BCCI has issued a statement that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) will monitor the workload of the shortlisted players for his 2023 ODI World Cup in India in November. BCCI said, “Considering preparations for Men’s FTP and ICC CWC 2023, NCA will work with IPL franchises to monitor eligible Indian players participating in IPL 2023.”
The IPL franchise provides reports on the Indian player’s workload during the IPL, but BCCI is the first to mention his NCA involvement. Franchisees have now raised issues in this regard and believe that the BCCI should have been notified prior to the auction, along with other national cricket commissions. According to a report quoted by the Times of India, franchise officials said, “Like other bodies (especially the England Cricket Board and Cricket Australia), the BCCI is planning an IPL so that franchisees can plan accordingly. I should have made this clear before the auction.”