Sreesanth set to play in KCA President's Cup T20 post ban

News Network
November 26, 2020

srishanth.JPG

Kochi, Nov 26: Former India pacer S Sreesanth will return to competitive cricket with a local T20 tournament organised by the Kerala Cricket Association, his first after completing seven-year ban on charges of match-fixing.

Sreesanth, who was banned by the BCCI over his alleged involvement in spot-fixing in the IPL, features in the list of players for the T20 event in Alappuzha. His ban ended in September this year.

He has been picked in the KCA Tigers team to be captained by state team skipper Sachin Baby in the tournament, a KCA official said.

According to the KCA, six teams--KCA Royals, KCA Tigers, KCA Tuskers, KCA Eagles, KCA Panthers and KCA Lions- - have been selected by a committee constituted for the inaugural KCA President's Cup T20 tournament. Besides, Sreesanth and Baby, prominent players like Basil Thampi, Rohan Prem, Midhun S, Asif KM and other senior state players will be featuring in different teams, KCA said.

"The teams are a mixture of youth and experience. The tournament is expected to produce keen contests and provide a platform for many aspiring cricketers to showcase their skills," a KCA press release stated. This will be Sreesanth's comeback on the cricket field after serving the ban, which ended in September this year. The 37-year old bowler had earlier said that he intends to resume at least his domestic career at the end of the ban and his home state Kerala has promised to consider him if he manages to prove his fitness.

KCA said it was waiting for the nod from the government authorities for conducting the tournament in Alappuzha from December 17, 2020, to January 3, 2021, adhering to Covid-19 protocols. Permission for the same has been requested to the government authorities, it said.

KCA said this inaugural T20 tournament will be an annual affair involving six teams selected by a committee constituted for this purpose. "There shall be no franchisees or owners. Each team consists of 14 players and 2 support staff. There will also be 4 players "on-call" for each team, if replacements are required," it said in a release. KCA said all players, support staff and concerned officials shall be brought under a bio-secure environment to minimise the risk of infection through external contact. "Strict adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols will be ensured.

"For this purpose before the commencement of the tournament, KCA will conduct on-line workshops for players/officials, to educate them on the SoPs and on-ground precautionary measures," it said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 27,2024

IPLbettingsuicide.jpg

Bengaluru: Darshan Babu is an engineer who is fond of betting on cricket matches and has been placing major bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games since 2021. He often borrows money after losing a bet, or to place one when he is short on funds. His 23-year-old wife, tired of the constant harassment by creditors, died by suicide.

Ranjitha was found hanging at her home in Karnataka's Chitradurga on March 18. According to the family, Darshan had racked up a debt of over Rs 1 crore.

He worked as an assistant engineer in the Minor Irrigation Department at Hosadurga and had been ensnared in the realm of IPL betting from 2021 to 2023. This took a major toll on the couple's finances. Allegedly, he had borrowed over Rs 1.5 crore to place bets after his luck ran out and he lost all his money. While he managed to return Rs 1 crore, cops say that he still has a pending loan of ₹ 84 lakh.

Ranjitha married Darshan in 2020. She realised the truth about Darshan's involvement in betting in 2021, claims her father Venkatesh.

In his complaint, Venkatesh said that his daughter was extremely distressed due to the constant harassment by moneylenders and this led to her suicide. He has also named 13 men who had allegedly lent the money.

He said that his son-in-law was lured into betting with a promise of quick money.

"He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security," he said.

Cops during their investigation found a suicide note, where she detailed the harassment they faced. Darshan and Ranjitha have a two-year-old son.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.