Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 9: The Indian Premier League (IPL) and the pressures associated with franchise cricket have come under scrutiny amid an unprecedented rise in injuries among members of the Indian men's cricket team, with the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru currently overseeing the rehabilitation of several international players.

As many as 10 internationally capped Indian cricketers are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Bengaluru facility for both short- and long-term injuries.

According to a report by news agency ANI, citing a source at the CoE, several international players have allegedly continued playing despite carrying injuries during the IPL.

"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," the source was quoted as saying.

The source further alleged that players sometimes continue playing through injuries during the IPL due to franchise and financial pressures before arriving at the CoE for rehabilitation.

"Players play through injuries during IPL due to franchise and financial pressures and then are dumped onto unsuspecting CoE physios," the source said, while defending the medical staff at the facility.

According to the source, both team and CoE physiotherapists have been working with player safety as their priority. However, the increasing number of injuries has made decision-making more difficult for selectors, coaches and captains.

The CoE has also come under growing scrutiny over its return-to-play procedures and communication with the BCCI selection committee.

Questions have emerged after Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan were ruled out of India's tour of Sri Lanka, despite reportedly being considered for at least one of the two Tests as recently as last week.

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman, who heads the BCCI Centre of Excellence on a two-year contract, has defended the facility amid the criticism.

The Sports Science department at the CoE has been functioning without a permanent head since Nitin Patel left the position in March 2025.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia visited the Bengaluru facility on Sunday and addressed the media, while Laxman strongly defended the functioning of the CoE.

"CoE is not just a rehab centre, but there are bigger roles to play for it in helping cricketers achieve excellence. So, we don't like to use the term 'blame' for injuries because when you're using that term, then you're finding someone as a scapegoat," Laxman said.

He also maintained that there was close coordination between the CoE, the men's and women's team managements and the sports science and medical staff.

"There’s brilliant coordination between the CoE and the team management of both the teams (men and women) and the SSM staff of both the teams. So that communication is happening seamlessly," Laxman said.

The growing injury list has nevertheless raised concerns over the workload faced by India's leading cricketers, particularly those competing across multiple formats and in the IPL, and the effectiveness of the current rehabilitation and return-to-play system.