Cricket — Step-by-Step Roadmap

1. 1
   Stage 1 · 14–16 Grassroots & local entry

   No SAI route — cricket runs through your home state unit. Play only where you genuinely belong (domicile fraud = 2-year ban). First target: the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U16). [18][5][4]

2. 2
   Stage 2 · U19 · U23 State to national breakthrough

   Cooch Behar Trophy (U19), then the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy (U23); the BCCI Centre of Excellence monitors age-group players. [4][9]

3. 3
   Stage 3 · Senior National camp & elite trials

   Ranji Trophy, then Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup. Targeted and contracted players are screened at the BCCI CoE, Bengaluru (Bronco test, GPS workloads). IPL by auction. [4][9][6]

4. ★
   Stage 4 · India · LA28 International orbit

   India colours, then the LA28 T20: 6 teams per gender, 15-player squads, 12–29 July 2028 at Pomona. [7]

Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [23][17]

• Contracted and targeted players go through pre-season screening at the BCCI Centre of Excellence — fitness assessments and field tests, including the Bronco Test.
• Every session is logged on the Athlete Management System, with GPS used to track activity and workloads.
• Each fast bowler — contracted, targeted and Under-19 — has an individual weekly workload range.
• An injured player returns only after meeting the fitness benchmark and playing two return-to-play matches; the CoE sends fitness reports to the selectors. [9]

• Keep to the anti-doping rules: be available for testing, check every medicine against the Prohibited List and get a TUE when no permitted treatment exists. [16]

Cricket is not one of the 27 SAI Training Centre disciplines, so SAI's battery of entry tests does not apply — selection runs through state associations and BCCI tournaments. [18]

The BCCI ladder [5][4][9][6]

You can only play for the state unit where you genuinely belong: domicile fraud brings a 2-year ban, for senior men and women too, and the voluntary-disclosure amnesty never covered it. [5]

Verified cricket centres [9][10]

The old 'National Cricket Academy' is now the BCCI Centre of Excellence. It is not an open-admission academy — players reach it through the BCCI pathway. SAI's NCOEs have no cricket. [9][18]

BCCI domestic match fee per day (revised September 2021) [11]

T20 matches pay 50% of these daily rates. Government athlete schemes do not fund cricket: SAI centres do not offer it, and the TOPS core group of August 2024 was 174 individual athletes plus the two hockey teams. [11][18][19]

• Kit must meet the ICC limits above — a bat with a wooden blade that passes the bat gauge.
• Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices for kit: no governing body publishes them, and they change with brand and grade. [3]

• Food first: meet your needs from food, with a certified nutritionist, before thinking of supplements — no supplement is 100% safe. [17]

BCCI annual retainership 2025-26 (1 Oct 2025 – 30 Sep 2026) [12]

The BCCI's announcement of 9 February 2026 names the players in each grade but does not state the retainer amounts, so Education Margdarshan does not print them. [12]

International match fees (men and women equal since 27 Oct 2022) [13]

Test Cricket Incentive Scheme — senior men, extra per Test (based on 9 Tests a season) [14]

• Cricket and Tennis Ball Cricket are among the 65 sports of the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
• Medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or World Championships can bring up to three out-of-turn promotions; in team events only if the player played at least 50% of the matches. [20]

3. ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions (effective June 2025) (opens in a new tab) Five days, 6 hours and 90 overs a day, ball weight and size, bat size limits · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
4. BCCI — Domestic Home Season 2026-27 to feature 1,788 matches (opens in a new tab) Senior, U23, U19, U16 (men) and U15 (women) categories; Duleep, Irani, Ranji, C.K. Nayudu, Cooch Behar, Vijay Merchant changes · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
5. BCCI — Additional measures to tackle age and domicile fraud (from season 2020-21) (opens in a new tab) 2-year bans for fake birth certificates and domicile fraud, U16 age band 14–16, late birth registration in U19 · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
6. IPL Governing Council — TATA IPL Player Regulations 2025-27 (28 Sep 2024) (opens in a new tab) Retentions and RTM, auction purse, salary cap, ₹7.5 lakh match fee, uncapped rule, 2-season ban · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
7. ICC — Dates confirmed for cricket's return to the Olympics (16 July 2025) (opens in a new tab) LA28 T20 format, 6 teams per gender, 15-player squads, dates, Pomona venue · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
9. BCCI — How the BCCI Centre of Excellence is shaping India's high-performance system (opens in a new tab) Pre-season screening, Bronco Test, Athlete Management System and GPS, fast-bowler workloads, two return-to-play matches · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
10. MRF Tyres — 'Ace of Pace' fast-bowler hunt by the MRF Pace Foundation (9 Mar 2024) (opens in a new tab) Foundation set up in 1987, four-city trials, 3 bowlers picked to train free in Chennai · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
11. BCCI — Update: 9th Apex Council Meeting (20 Sep 2021) (opens in a new tab) Revised per-day domestic match fees for men and women, T20 at 50% · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
12. BCCI — Annual Player Retainership 2025-26, Team India (9 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) Grade A/B/C lists for senior men and women, contract period · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
13. BCCI — 15th Apex Council meeting: pay equity policy for women cricketers (27 Oct 2022) (opens in a new tab) Test ₹15 lakh, ODI ₹6 lakh, T20I ₹3 lakh for men and women · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
14. BCCI — Test Cricket Incentive Scheme for senior men (9 Mar 2024) (opens in a new tab) Extra ₹15–45 lakh per Test by share of Tests played · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
16. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing duties, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
17. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Food first, supplement risk · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
18. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE and STC discipline lists (cricket not included) · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
19. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) TOPS core group composition · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
20. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Cricket and Tennis Ball Cricket in the 65-sport list, Group C, out-of-turn promotion in team events · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
21. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
22. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
23. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026