The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rolled out a more rigorous verification system to uncover age and domicile fraud in domestic tournaments, instructing its state affiliates to scrutinize players’ Aadhaar update histories prior to registration.
Inspired by a similar initiative from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the measure has yielded notable outcomes in Bengal, where the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) ruled 62 players ineligible for registration or transfer for the 2026‑27 and 2027‑28 seasons after identifying inconsistencies in their paperwork.
Among those impacted are current and former India Under‑19 internationals Rohit Yadav and Ravi Kumar, each receiving a two‑year ban.
How Aadhaar updates are helping detect age fraud
Under the BCCI’s directive, associations must review the alteration history of players’ Aadhaar‑linked documents together with their digital birth certificates before clearing Under‑19 and Under‑23 cricketers for registration.
The procedure has revealed inconsistencies that were not evident from the original documents submitted by the athletes.
In Rohit’s case, the records displayed three separate birth years—2007, 2009 and 2010—uncovered via his Aadhaar update trail.
Rohit, a leg‑break googly bowler, had recently played for India Under‑19 on their Sri Lankan tour in July, taking six wickets in a youth Test that India won by 211 runs, and was later named in the India Under‑19 squad for the upcoming home series against Australia Under‑19.
Ravi Kumar, a member of India’s victorious Under‑19 World Cup squad in 2022, was found to have a 45‑month age discrepancy according to CAB records.
Left‑arm spinning all‑rounder Vishal Bhati, who has featured in three first‑class and two List A matches, also received a ban.
CAB checks around 4,000 players
CAB secretary Bablu Kolay stated that the association reviewed the documentation of roughly 4,000 players during the exercise.
“Aadhaar updates and digital birth certificates proved decisive in uncovering these discrepancies, including cases of age manipulation,” Kolay told The New Indian Express.
The association now requires players to submit digital birth certificates issued within the last two years and to verify their Aadhaar update histories.
Players are issued one‑time passwords to access their records, enabling the association to scrutinize any alterations to their documents, including birth certificates.
The verification process has also brought to light issues unrelated to age manipulation.
According to Kolay, CAB identified instances of purportedly fraudulent domicile documents. Bengal rules stipulate that a player must compete in West Bengal club cricket for four years before qualifying to represent the state.
BCCI follows the WFI’s approach
The step mirrors a comparable initiative launched by the WFI earlier this year.
The wrestling federation initiated Aadhaar record checks before the Under‑15 national championships in Salem, Tamil Nadu, in February, and later expanded the procedure to other age‑group tournaments.
The exercise reportedly flagged approximately 500 wrestlers with document irregularities.
Instead of issuing blanket bans, the WFI instructed those wrestlers to participate in the age brackets that correspond to their verified ages.
In contrast, the cricket board’s response in Bengal has been stricter, with CAB declaring the 62 players ineligible for registration or transfer for two seasons.
CAB treasurer Sanjay Das said the association commenced the process at the end of May after receiving directives from the BCCI.
“We launched it at the end of May after receiving instructions from the Indian board, and the outcomes are evident for all. The initiative targets systemic issues rather than individuals, aiming to guarantee fair competition. Besides curbing age fraud, it also assists in verifying a player’s genuine domicile,” Das said.
The BCCI’s move marks a substantial tightening of verification protocols in Indian domestic cricket. By pairing digital birth certificates with Aadhaar update histories, the board and its state affiliates now possess a tool to spot inconsistencies that could have previously escaped notice.
In Bengal, the initial exercise has already led to 62 players being declared ineligible, and CAB affirms that the verification process will persist for every new registration.
