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New Delhi: To combat age fraud in cricket the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has implemented mandatory additional bone-age tests for junior players. This follows recent accusations of age manipulation against Vaibhav Suryavanshi an IPL 2025 player. Rajasthan Royals player Vaibhavs rise to fame was accompanied by controversy. His IPL contract secured at the age of 13 years and 288 days (making him the youngest player ever contracted) was initially misrepresented as being 15 years old. When Vaibhav was 8 and a half years old he first appeared for a BCCI bone test. He has already played India U-19. We dont fear anyone. He can again undergo an age test said Vaibhavs father to PTI. Following a record-breaking IPL century by the left-handed batter a previous controversy regarding his age resurfaced. A social media video whose authenticity is unconfirmed seemingly shows the player stating a different birthdate than the official record. In response the BCCI has implemented a measure to prevent players from being unfairly excluded from additional seasons due to minor discrepancies in age calculations. Previously youth athletes eligibility for the next season was determined by a bone age test (TW3 method) plus a one-factor adjustment. The new rule modifies this for U-16 players if the initial test and adjustment deem them ineligible a second bone age test will be conducted the following season to reassess their eligibility. It is being done to have an exact age and make sure that no player loses due to arithmetical calculation rather than scientific calculation a BCCI source told PTI. 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 case of females for participation the source added. Under the current rules a male under-16 player with a bone age of 15.4 years in the 2025-26 season would automatically have their bone age considered as 16.4 years for the 2026-27 season. This means a subsequent bone age test would be unnecessary for eligibility in the under-16 tournament. Its possible that this arithmetical calculation does not accurately reflect a players actual age which could cause them to lose out on a year of eligibility the source added.