Uttar Pradesh batsman Rinku Singh was on Thursday handed a three-month suspension by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for taking part in an unauthorized T20 tournament in Abu Dhabi without seeking permission from the board.
The batsman, who plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), played in the Ramadan T20 Cup in Abu Dhabi recently and was handed punishment, as expected.
The BCCI has a strict no-tolerance policy against contracted cricketers taking part in foreign leagues. In Rinku's case, he also failed to take permission from the BCCI before participating in the unauthorized tournament and is all set to face the brunt.
Apart from being suspended for three months by the board, Rinku has also been removed from India A squad and will not be a part of the team which will take on Sri Lanka A in the series beginning from May 31. Rinku played a crucial role for his team Deccan Gladiators in the final of the Ramadan T20 Cup and scored a brilliant 104 runs, while also picking up two wickets.
“As per the BCCI norms, a player registered with the Board cannot play in any tournaments abroad without the Board’s permission. Mr Rinku Singh, therefore, has been suspended with immediate effect for a period of three months starting June 1, 2019,” said BCCI in a statement.
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The suspension comes as a huge setback for the youngster, who could have cemented his spot in the India A side with an impressive show against Sri Lanka. He has so far played 19 First Class matches scoring 1645 runs at an average of 71.52.