The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has amended the existing procedure for age authentication in the system. A mandatory second bone test is the latest update to the procedure, which already includes a primary bone test as a critical part of the age verification process. This comes in the aftermath of the age-fudging allegations that surrounded Vaibhav Suryavanshi who made his IPL debut in the 2025 season.
At the time of being sold at the mega-auctions, Suryavanshi was reportedly 13 years old, having already represented the India U-19 side in several competitions. However, subsequent reports suggested that the teenage prodigy was actually 15 at the time, causing a worldwide furore. The latest development is that the BCCI are adding a new procedure to the existing age verification process.
According to the report, a second bone test will be added to both men's and women's cricket age-group systems, with the maximum criteria age being 16 for boys and 15 for girls. Historically, age verification tests were conducted for boys in the 14-16 age group, while the same tests were performed for girls in the 12-15 age group. Once the age is determined through the bone test, the value obtained is added by one to give a figure that is considered as the mathematical age of the player.
For instance, if a boy or girl returns a value of 14.5 during the test, the mathematical age would be 15.5. With the arrival of the second bone test, players will now have to undergo this test a year after the primary test. However, there is a twist to this. In previous cases, a player whose mathematical age is 15.8 wouldn't be able to compete in the under-16 category in the following year due to apparent reasons. Now that the second bone test has been introduced, players whose biological age is under 16 can have another shot at the competition, provided the second bone test value also turns out to be under 16.
These stringent rules are part of the BCCI's ongoing efforts to address the age-fudging issues that have plagued domestic cricket for years. Age tests are conducted annually before the start of India's domestic season, and the associations of each state are given a window for performing their respective tests at an affiliated medical centre of expertise. In the early days of age testing processes, multiple reported cases occurred where families sent the player's younger sibling to manipulate the bone test.
However, the BCCI has since made it mandatory for players to submit their Aadhaar details and latest photographs before undergoing the bone test. Although it has been a reasonably successful procedure since its inception, the primary bone test has always had its share of doubters. Now that the secondary bone test has been introduced, the BCCI hopes to gain a clearer picture of a player's age.
Whether the latest BCCI directive is a result of the Suryavanshi controversy or not is anybody's guess. However, it seems like a welcome addition to the rules.
