Poor uncapped players! They are being coaxed, cajoled and even coerced by the big teams and big boys.
While the $9 million cap has been reduced to a farce — thanks to the retention rule — the uncapped players issue is fast snowballing into a big controversy.
Soon, it might turn into a major embarrassment for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Reports suggest that pressure is being mounted on players from all sides, asking them to either move to or stay on in a particular side. In some cases, the help of the local association is also being sought. “This has become a big racket,” a franchise owner said. In one case, a bowler is being threatened about his career.
Tirumalasetti Suman, Manish Pandey, Shadab Jakati, Rajagopal Satish, Ambati Rayudu and Siddharth Trivedi are some of the players who are being fiercely wooed and protected by various franchises.
While a few players are demanding more money than they are eligible for — a maximum of Rs30 lakh — some franchises are threatening them with dire consequences if they don’t sign up.
Says a franchise official, “The decision to take the uncapped players off the auction was helping only a few big teams. It has taken away the possible income from the players. Now this is leading to all kinds of problems,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the IPL allowed uncapped overseas players to be put up for sale. In fact, 69 overseas players were listed for the auction and 16 of them were picked. Aaron Finch of Australia went to Delhi for $300,000, while Mitchell Marsh was roped in by Pune for $290,000.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors have signed up a few uncapped players. Aakash Chopra, Deepak Chahar, Ashok Menaria and Dishant Yagnik, all currently playing for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy final, have been roped in by Royals. Chopra is a former India opener but he now falls under the ‘uncapped’ category as he last played international cricket five years ago.
Chahar has been a successful fast bowler for Rajasthan in his debut season. It may be recalled that the youngster had picked up 12 wickets on debut in the Ranji opener against Hyderabad. He was being wooed by another side but Royals, apparently, have promised him a place in the playing XI. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, also playing in the Ranji final, is likely to move to Team Kochi.
The Royals have also recruited Ajinkya Rahane. “I am extremely happy to be part of the Rajasthan Royals family. This is testimony to my hard work and efforts put in over the years. Apart from it being a challenging task, it is an experience to share the dressing room and ground space with legends like Rahul Dravid and Shane Warne alongside recent sensations like Shane Watson, Johan Botha and Shaun Tait. The people of Rajasthan love their cricket and I will surely enjoy the company of my Rajasthan teammates,” the Mumbai Ranji player said.
Meanwhile, Team Pune have signed up Kamran Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala. Also, Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh and director of coaching TA Sekar were seen talking to a few players at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. The duo approached Madhya Pradesh left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma and Mumbai middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav. “Sekar gave Ankit the thumbs-up,” a witness said.
Yadav, too, is close to inking a deal with MI. The right-hander, who made his Ranji Trophy debut against Delhi last month, is highly rated in the city’s cricketing circles. Meanwhile, Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni is also expected to renew his contract with the Mumbai-based franchise.
(With inputs from Derek Abraham)