In a new effort to identify over-age players, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to perform an extra bone test at the junior level. Months after new accusations of age fraud were leveled against IPL 2025 star Vaibhav Suryavanshi, strict measures were taken.

The Rajasthan Royals star's popularity was accompanied by controversy, which started immediately following the IPL mega auction. He had become the youngest player to receive a contract after being recruited for INR 1.1 crore. Vaibhav was said to be 15 years old, in contrast to his actual age of 13 years and 288 days.

Sanjiv Suryavanshi, the father of the young cricketer, addressed the accusations by telling PTI, "He first appeared for a BCCI bone test when he was eight and a half years old." He has previously competed for India U-19. "We don't fear anyone. He may take an age test again."

However, the issue reappeared after the left-handed batsman scored a record century in the IPL. An old film that went viral on social media, in which Vaibhav was supposedly heard declaring a different birth date, added to the controversy. To prevent any player from missing out on an additional season because of the "1 factor" that is now included to the calculation and makes them ineligible by the slightest of margins, the BCCI has taken a major step, even if the authenticity of the video has not yet been verified.

What is the BCCI's latest regulation?

Using the current approach, each player is assessed for age using the TW3 bone test method, and a factor is added to establish whether they are eligible to compete in the following season in the same age group. According to the updated regulation, however, if a player at the U-16 level is ruled out by the one factor in the previous year, they will be required to undergo another bone test the following season to determine their eligibility.

A BCCI source told PTI, "It is being done to have an exact age and make sure that no player loses due to arithmetical calculation rather than scientific calculation."

"The bone age of a player must therefore be 16.4 or lower in the following season for male cricketers and 14.9 or lower for females in order to participate," the source continued.

This means that a male U-16 player in the 2025/26 season with a bone age of 15.4 would not be required to have another bone test the next season because their bone age would be increased by one factor. As a result, he would have a bone age of 16.4 years during the 2026/27 season, regardless of the state of his real bone growth, enabling him to compete in the U-16 tournament with a bone age of 16.4.

"The arithmetical calculation may not precisely reflect a player's real age, which might result in them missing out on a year of eligibility," the source continued.

Read Also: Jos Buttler Hails Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Fearless Batting Style, Sees Shades of Lara and Yuvraj

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