The Supreme Court on Thursday orally expressed reluctance to intervene on an urgent plea made by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) to have players from outside the State participate in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).

“We are not going to supervise playing of cricket,” a Bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and B.R. Gavai addressed senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who mentioned the plea for urgent listing.

The Bench asked the association to take up the issue either before the BCCI Ombudsman or the Supreme Court’s amicus curiae in the BCCI case, senior advocate P.S. Narasimha.

The court also queried with Mr. Sibal whether the association had tried the Committee of Administrators (CoA) on the issue.

Mr. Sibal said TNCA had approached CoA in May, but a decision is yet forthcoming.

“We will ask the CoA to decide it,” Justice Bobde said.

When CoA lawyer Parag Tripathi complained TNCA was not co-operating by adopting the new BCCI Constitution, Mr. Sibal countered by asking whether players from the outside the State should be punished. “Our Constitution has been registered. Players cannot be penalised like this,” Mr. Sibal submitted.

In July last year, the apex court had given permission for the League to continue with players who are registered with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). It had said that outstation players shall be allowed to play subject to the permission granted by the CoA, the court directed.

A Bench led by then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had asked the association to “scrupulously” follow an advisory sent out by the CoA.