MUMBAI: Even as the International Cricket Council’s deadline for all the eight teams to pick their provisional squads for the Champions Trophy in UAE & Pakistan expires at midnight on Jan 12 (Sunday), the BCCI is likely to seek an extension and announce India’s provisional squad only on January 19, a month before the tournament, which begins on Feb 19. However, at the time of writing this, the BCCI had not requested an extension of the deadline in this regard from the ICC.
“The Champions Trophy squad is likely to be announced on Jan 19,” BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla told reporters on Sunday at the BCCI’s headquarters, just after the Board’s Special General Meeting, where Devajit Saikia and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia were announced as the new BCCI secretary and treasurer.
On Saturday, the national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, only picked the Indian side for the five-match T20I series against England, postponing the three-match ODI series against England—the ODIs are supposed to be played on Feb 6, 9, & 12—and the provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy later.
TOI understands that as per the ICC rule, all the teams are supposed to submit their provisional squads by 23.59 pm on Jan 12, but the BCCI is likely to ask for an extension in that regard.
Normally, all the teams are supposed to submit their provisional squads a month in advance, but this time the ICC has stretched that period to five weeks. Of course, the teams are allowed to change their squads later.
