Laxman breaks silence on cricketers turning to private trainers

VVS Laxman, head of the BCCI Centre of Excellence, addressed the media on Sunday, August 9, 2026, regarding injured players from the senior men's team at the CoE in Bengaluru. The discussion centred on rehabilitation protocols and the fitness benchmarks that players must meet before returning to competitive cricket.

Laxman outlined the strict, data-driven fitness standards required for injured players, stating that all players must complete two Return To Play matches and meet specific fitness benchmarks

before being cleared to rejoin either national or domestic teams.

Reports had surfaced suggesting that some injured cricketers were engaging personal fitness trainers during their rehabilitation phase at the Centre of Excellence. Laxman responded directly to these claims during his media interaction, emphasising the comprehensive tracking systems in place and the role of the BCCI's own strength and conditioning staff in managing player recovery.

"This is news to me, you know. And I think there is a lot of news which is happening, but as I told you, the way we do it is that the Indian team S&C is responsible for keeping track of the contracted players," Laxman said in a press conference.

Tracking systems and documentation protocols

The BCCI Centre of Excellence operates a multi-layered system to monitor player rehabilitation and fitness progression. Every session undertaken by players is documented on the Athlete Management System, or AMS, with GPS tracking providing real-time data on player activity and location. This comprehensive approach ensures that all rehabilitation work is recorded and supervised by the organisation's medical and fitness teams.

"The S&Cs at the COE are responsible for keeping track of the targeted and the age-group players. Everything is there on the AMS. Every session of the player is there on the AMS and that is why we use the GPS where wherever the player is doing, whatever he is doing is documented out there," Laxman said.

Quality of BCCI's strength and conditioning staff

Laxman defended the credentials and experience of the BCCI's strength and conditioning staff, highlighting their world-class qualifications and proven track record. He emphasised that the men's and women's teams are supported by highly experienced fitness professionals who are well equipped to manage contracted players through injury recovery and return-to-play protocols.

"If you see the men's and women's team trainers, now Adrian is a world-class trainer. In 2002, I remember he was our first foreign fitness trainer and the quality of him has got no questions about his qualities," Laxman said.

"So I am sure he knows how to manage the contracted players. And now Nick, who recently joined the Indian women's team, is again a very experienced S&C professional," he added.

The Centre of Excellence was preparing to host the Duleep Trophy, the season-opening domestic tournament, from August 23, 2026, as part of its ongoing role in developing and managing India's cricket talent pipeline.