DDCA mess: BCCI bans 22 Delhi junior players for fudging age

In another embarrassing incident, the BCCI on Wednesday barred 22 cricketers of Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) from taking part in the age-group cricket tournaments as there are allegations of age-fudging against them.

What is more embarrassing is the fact that the names include Nitish Rana and Pratyush Singh – two players who have already played for senior Delhi team in limited overs and Rana, in fact, is also a part of the current Delhi Ranji team, which is in Jaipur for the opening game against Rajasthan.

The DDCA on Wednesday received an e-mail from Professor Ratnakar Shetty, who is the Gave Development Manager of BCCI, that 22 of its players are barred from taking part in the BCCI’s age-group tournaments on allegations of age-fudging.

It has been learnt that an FIR was lodged by a former India cricketer and a Delhi stalwart Kirti Azad last year.

While Prof Shetty’s terse answer to an enquiry was “Go and ask DDCA”, the state association president Sneh Prakash Bansal admitted that BCCI has indeed told them not to select the boys with disputed age certificates in age-group teams. “Yes, we have received an intimation from the BCCI that we cannot select these 22 boys in the state age-group teams as there was an FIR lodged against these cricketers for disputed birth certificates. Accordingly, the BCCI has instructed to select new boys in their places,” Bansal told PTI. 

However, Bansal said that Rana, while being barred from age-group cricket, there is no problem with him playing the Ranji Trophy. “Obviously, there is no bar on him playing Ranji Trophy as the ban is only applicable for age-group cricket,” he added.