INDIA CRICKET
A Request for Proposal was recently issued by BCCI, inviting bids from reputed entities to provide verification services. © Getty
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has intensified its drive against age-fraud and is in the process of hiring an external agency to verify the credentials of players. An RFP (Request for Proposal) was recently issued, inviting bids from reputed entities to provide verification services. The outsourced agency is expected to be in place by the end of August.
The trigger for the move is not entirely clear, but it appears to have stemmed from instances where documents or certificates submitted were found to be suspect. It is evident that the BCCI aims to professionalise the process and eliminate any chances of over-age players entering the system.
The BCCI adopts a two-tier age-verification system – the first involves scrutiny of documents and birth certificates, while the second is a bone test, commonly known as the TW3 (Tanner-Whitehouse 3) method. These verifications are usually conducted at the Under-16 level for boys and the Under-15 level for girls.
The BCCI has outlined the requirements expected of the bidding entities. As per a recent notification, the bidding companies/agencies must have a minimum three years of experience in providing background verification services to reputed firms, “including but not limited to corporate companies, educational boards/institutions, and recruitment bodies.”
Besides, the interested parties should have a nationwide network or the ability to conduct verifications across all Indian states and Union territories, both physically and digitally. The BCCI wants them to must demonstrate capacity to verify multiple document types, including proof of identity (Aadhar, Passport, Voter Id – although not needed here), proof of age (birth certificate, school records) proof of residence, academic records etc and must also have the capability to conduct in-person field checking, if required, especially in the rural areas.
The BCCI undertakes age verifications around this time of the year – July and August. This year the process may extend to September too as the agency is expected to be on board by this month-end. The verification is done state wise and up to 40-50 players, in each boys and girls categories, from each state are put through the testing process.
Hiring such agencies is not an uncommon practice and many companies and government bodies engage with them for compliance protocols. Previously, such screening was carried out internally by the BCCI. The latest move clearly signals an effort to bring an element of robustness and professionalism to the process.
© Cricbuzz
