The sudden rise in injury cases among Indian cricketers has sparked concerns within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), amid reports of a disconnect between the selection committee and the Centre of Excellence (CoE). The issue even prompted board secretary Devajit Saikia to visit the CoE in Bengaluru over the weekend to take stock of the rehabilitation programme, where he also met CoE head VVS Laxman.
While Saikia and Laxman sought to clear the air around the reported differences during a press conference on Sunday, a fresh media report has now claimed that a source at the CoE has pointed to the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the financial pressures associated with franchise cricket.
According to an ANI report, the CoE source claimed that franchise and financial pressures during the IPL can push players to play through injuries before eventually arriving at the board’s rehabilitation facility. The source suggested that this can make the process of preparing them for international cricket considerably more complicated.
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“Too much cricket. The human body has its load limits. Overuse and stress injuries, especially in older players, are unpredictable in terms of return to play. Players play through injuries during IPL due to franchise and financial pressures and then are dumped onto unsuspecting COE physios. The team physios and COE physios are competent and conscientious, and are keeping player safety as their top priority. This, of course, makes it difficult for selectors, coaches, and captains,” the source said.
The remarks came on the sidelines of a press conference at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru on Sunday, where Laxman addressed the media alongside Saikia and BCCI president Mithun Manhas.
India are currently without Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan for the Sri Lanka Test series, despite both being picked in the original squad amid injury concerns. Bumrah failed to recover from the knee injury he sustained during the ODI tour of England. The CoE had reportedly expected him to be fit in time for the series, but he was eventually ruled out. Sudharsan, meanwhile, sustained an injury during the India A red-ball series in Sri Lanka earlier last month.
India are also missing Harshit Rana (hamstring), Nitish Kumar Reddy (hamstring) and Washington Sundar (quadriceps) due to injuries. Akash Deep, who is recovering from a lower-back stress fracture, has been out for the longest period since Bengal’s Ranji Trophy semi-final defeat.
The CoE is also currently managing several white-ball players, with Hardik Pandya (quadriceps), Varun Chakravarthy (hamstring) and Prince Yadav (hamstring) among those at the facility. The Sports Science team, meanwhile, has been without a permanent head since Nitin Patel resigned in early 2025, adding another layer to the challenges facing the facility.
Responding to the growing criticism, Laxman stressed on Sunday that the CoE has a broader mandate than simply rehabilitating injured players and highlighted the importance of monitoring systems in preventing and managing injuries.
“CoE is not a rehab centre. There’s a bigger responsibility and mandate given by the BCCI,” Laxman said.
“Injuries are part and parcel of any player’s career. That’s why the monitoring system is very critical. And we don’t use the term blame; then we will be trying to find scapegoats,” he added.
Laxman also addressed the vacant position of Head of Sports Science and Medicine (SSM) at the CoE, saying the BCCI has struggled to find a suitable candidate for the role.
According to Laxman, the position requires not only stature and experience but also an understanding of Indian cricketers and their specific requirements.
“After Nitin (Patel) left, we couldn’t fill his shoes. Everything was agreed upon; Andrew (Leipus) backed off citing family reasons,” the former India batter said.