Was not picking Ishan Kishan for T20I squad BCCI's way of punishing him for his Dubai party? Here's what we know

While fans were eagerly awaiting to see if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would make it to the T20 squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan, they were surprised to learn that wicketkeeper Sanju Samson had been added ahead of Ishan Kishan. The Mumbai Indians (MI) keeper-batter's absence from the Indian team had left many pundits baffled. The young cricketer had even withdrawn from the South Africa Test series due to 'personal reasons'. However, he was said to be available for selection in the T20I squad for the Afghanistan series.

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still went ahead with Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as wicketkeepers for the last T20 international series before the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the T20I World Cup in 2024.

With fans and critics questioning Ishan's absence, a report has explained why the Mumbai Indians (MI) batter was left out. According to the report, Ishan sought an exit from the Test assignment due to mental fatigue from constantly being on the bench. Later, he was found partying in Dubai, an act that reportedly didn't sit well with the BCCI selectors and the team management, as reported by Indian Express.

Additional reports indicate that Ishan wanted to opt out of the Australia T20I series following the end of the ODI World Cup 2023, but his plea was rejected. Subsequently, he sought to skip the white-ball series against South Africa, but that too was rejected. Kishan persisted by requesting the BCCI to grant him relief during the Test series against South Africa, and this time, the BCCI ultimately agreed to consider his request.

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As for the reports of him partying in Dubai, those close to the player, have countered the argument, saying it doesn't matter where the player spends his off time. It was also claimed that Ishan had gone to celebrate his brother's birthday.

While this exclusion in the last T20I series for India before the World Cup could be an indication of him missing out on the WC squad, the keeper-batter will be eyeing to have a splendid season for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming IPL 2024 to not be ignored for the ICC tournament.