Ace India batter Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper KL Rahul will not be available for the next round of the Ranji Trophy, even as former cricketers and experts keep reiterating the importance of domestic cricket to flourish in red-ball games. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the duo have told BCCI medical staff that they are carrying niggles which wouldn't permit them to play the next round of Ranji Trophy matches from January 23.

According to reports, Kohli had neck pain and had taken an injection on January 8, three days after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy finished in Sydney. He told BCCI medical staff that he was still experiencing pain, ruling him out of Delhi's match against Saurashtra in Rajkot.

As for Rahul, he has an elbow problem which will keep him out of Karnataka's game against Punjab in Bengaluru. On Thursday, BCCI issued an unexpected list of dos and don'ts for all players, which included compulsory participation in domestic cricket. In case the player isn't available to play, he would need permission from the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.

While Kohli and Rahul have another chance to play Ranji Trophy, with the final round in the group phase beginning January 30, those games end close to the start of the ODI series against England on February 6.

BCCI made it clear in their latest policy that not playing domestic cricket could cost players selection for international tours and their central contracts as well, with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer as glaring examples. This rule was laid down by BCCI in 2024 when it said that it was a cause for concern' having noticed the trend of a few players 'prioritising IPL over domestic cricket'.

BCCI has said that this policy ensures that players remain connected to the domestic cricket ecosystem, fostering talent development, maintaining match fitness and strengthening the overall domestic structure.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Cricket, Sports and around the world.