Headnotes
A BCCI resolution passed on December 18, 2023 required players in its domestic tournaments to hold Indian citizenship, effectively barring Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders — including 12 petitioner cricketers — from participating, even though OCI cardholders and even foreign nationals are separately permitted to play in the Indian Premier League. The Bombay High Court directed the petitioners to implead the Central Government in their petitions and directed the Centre to file an affidavit-in-reply, noting the Bench's own clarification that the IPL is a separate commercial entity from BCCI's domestic tournament structure, and that it wished to know the Central Government's position on the underlying eligibility question before proceeding further.
Key Takeaways
- A private sports body's eligibility resolution can still require the Central Government's formal position before a court decides its validity, where the issue touches on citizenship-based eligibility with implications beyond a single sport.
- Courts can draw a sharp distinction between a domestic tournament structure and a separate commercial league (here, the IPL) run by the same governing body, even where both involve the same category of players.
- Directing impleadment of the Union government mid-proceeding signals a court's view that the case's stakes extend beyond the immediate private dispute between players and their sports federation.
Full Judgment Text
The Bombay High Court has directed the Central Government be made a party to a challenge by 12 Overseas Citizen of India cardholding cricketers against a BCCI resolution requiring Indian citizenship to play in its domestic tournaments.
FACTS:
A BCCI resolution passed on December 18, 2023 mandated that players in its domestic tournaments hold Indian citizenship, which had the effect of barring OCI cardholders from participating. Twelve young OCI-cardholding cricketers challenged this requirement, noting that OCI cardholders — and even foreign nationals — are separately permitted to play in the Indian Premier League, a fact they argued undercut BCCI's justification for the domestic-tournament bar.
COURT'S ANALYSIS:
The Court directed the petitioners to implead the Central Government in their petitions and ordered the Centre to file an affidavit-in-reply, indicating that the underlying question of OCI eligibility for domestic cricket could have "wide ramifications" beyond the immediate petitioners. The Bench clarified that it viewed the IPL as a separate commercial entity from BCCI's domestic tournament structure, and that it wanted to hear the Central Government's version on the citizenship question before proceeding.
HOLDING:
The Court issued notice to the Central Government and directed it to file its affidavit-in-reply, listing the matter for further hearing on October 14, 2026.
Source: LiveLaw, "Bombay High Court Seeks Centre's Stand On Whether OCI Cardholders Can Play In BCCI Tournaments, Says Decision May Have 'Wide Ramifications'," September 10, 2026.
FACTS:
A BCCI resolution passed on December 18, 2023 mandated that players in its domestic tournaments hold Indian citizenship, which had the effect of barring OCI cardholders from participating. Twelve young OCI-cardholding cricketers challenged this requirement, noting that OCI cardholders — and even foreign nationals — are separately permitted to play in the Indian Premier League, a fact they argued undercut BCCI's justification for the domestic-tournament bar.
COURT'S ANALYSIS:
The Court directed the petitioners to implead the Central Government in their petitions and ordered the Centre to file an affidavit-in-reply, indicating that the underlying question of OCI eligibility for domestic cricket could have "wide ramifications" beyond the immediate petitioners. The Bench clarified that it viewed the IPL as a separate commercial entity from BCCI's domestic tournament structure, and that it wanted to hear the Central Government's version on the citizenship question before proceeding.
HOLDING:
The Court issued notice to the Central Government and directed it to file its affidavit-in-reply, listing the matter for further hearing on October 14, 2026.
Source: LiveLaw, "Bombay High Court Seeks Centre's Stand On Whether OCI Cardholders Can Play In BCCI Tournaments, Says Decision May Have 'Wide Ramifications'," September 10, 2026.