BCCI to Implement Additional Bone Test for Accurate Age Verification in Junior Cricket

To guarantee that no cricket player is denied an extra season because of the current "+1 factor" used during age verification, which frequently renders players ineligible by the slimmest of margins, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has instituted an additional bone test at the junior level. The TW3 technique is used to calculate a player's age, and a "+1 factor" is applied to determine eligibility for the future season in the same age group, per current standards.

A cricket player in the Under-16 boys division, for instance, will undergo a second bone test the following season to ascertain his ability to compete in the same age group due to the regulation change. If they were disqualified the year before because of the +1 factor, this will enable them to regain their eligibility for the same age group.

BCCI Takes Step to Prevent Age Fraud:

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. This means that the bone age of a player has to be 16.4 or below in the following season in male cricketers and 14.9 or below in the case of females for participation."

For example, a male U-16 athlete would not be obliged to do another bone test the following season if he had a bone test during the 2025–26 season and the results indicated a bone age of 15.4 years. Rather, his bone age is automatically increased by +1 for qualifying considerations. However, as the final cutoff is 16.4 years, if a player's bone age is found to be 15.5 years or more, the inclusion of the +1 factor would elevate it to 16.5 years or more, disqualifying him from the U-16 event.

If a U-15 girl's bone age is 13.9 years this season, she will still be able to play in the same category the following season, with the +1 factor applied to make her bone age 14.9. She will only be able to participate in the current season, though, if she tests at 14.0 years old or older this season. Given that the limit is 14.9 years, the +1 factor would make her ineligible if her bone age increased to 15.0 or higher the next season.

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