29/08/2026
Announcement 📢📢
We have withdrawn our participation from the Bijbehara Premier League 2026 because we felt that our concerns were not being heard or respected. We have been participating in almost every major tournament across Jammu & Kashmir, and from our experience, no organiser has ever forcefully imposed such rules on the teams. Usually, tournament organisers first call a meeting with the team owners, explain their plans and rules, and take everyone’s opinion before finalising anything. That is how a tournament should be managed—with mutual understanding and respect. We simply asked the organisers to consider our point as well. Since we are paying the entry fee, we believe we also have the right to put forward our concerns and expectations. However, we were told, “These are our rules. We run the tournament according to our own rules and we don’t listen to anyone.” Our only demand was that Under-19 and Under-23 players should not be made compulsory. We asked them whether this was an international cricket rule, and they clearly said that it was their own tournament rule. We have absolutely no problem with giving opportunities to young players. In fact, if the organisers genuinely want to promote young talent, we are ready to support that. Instead of making it compulsory for every team to include only two young players, we would even be willing to play five young players. But in that case, we believe the tournament should either be made entry-fee free or the entry fee should be reduced accordingly. The main issue is that they cannot force teams to include Under-19 and Under-23 players when teams have already planned their squads and signed contracts with their players. As everyone knows, we have already contracted our players. How can we suddenly remove two contracted players and replace them with an Under-19 and an Under-23 player? This will directly affect our team combination, planning and commitments towards our contracted players. We cannot simply drop players who have already been signed and committed to our team. If a team voluntarily wants to play Under-19 or Under-23 players, we have absolutely no objection. Give them the opportunity and let teams decide for themselves. But forcing every team to include them is not fair. They say they want to promote cricket and give opportunities to young players. We appreciate that objective, but promoting young talent should not come at the cost of the participating teams’ existing commitments and team combinations. It feels like these rules are being made according to the organisers’ convenience rather than considering the interests and difficulties of all participating teams. We are not against young players. We are not against promoting cricket. Our only point is that rules affecting the entire team should be discussed with the team owners instead of being forcefully imposed on them. If we are paying the entry fee, we also have the right to put forward our opinion and expect our concerns to be heard and respected. The organisers have the right to make rules, but participating teams also deserve a voice when those rules directly affect their squads, contracts and team combinations. Cricket is about mutual respect, cooperation and fair play—not about imposing decisions on teams.
