Delhi wicket-batter Anuj Rawat has found himself in hot water after skipping his team’s preparatory camp for the upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy match to attend the training camp of his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Gujarat Titans (GT) in Surat. Rawat was bought by GT for Rs 30 lakh in the IPL 2025 mega auction last year, after which he was released by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In an official statement from GT, Rawat was mentioned among the players joining the grid.
The Gujarat Titans began their preparations for IPL 2025 with a training camp in Surat. Players like Anuj Rawat, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Kumar Kushagra, Mahipal Lomror And Arshad Khan joined the team in camp along with coaches and support staff,” the franchise said in a statement.
While the BCCI management is adamant that players should prioritize red-ball cricket during the season, Rawat’s attendance at the IPL camp just a week before the start of the red-ball season is a clear indicator of where his priorities lie.
It is worth mentioning here that veteran bowler Ishant Sharma has already told the DDCA that he will no longer play red-ball cricket as he is no longer in contention to return to the national team.
When the DDCA Secretary Ashok Sharmawho is also the head of the state senior team selection committee, was asked whether the player in question had asked permission to join his IPL team’s pre-season training camp, he replied in the negative.
“I don’t know that Anuj missed the ongoing Ranji Trophy camp to attend the IPL team’s camp. Ideally, he should get permission from the state association. We have two Ranji games left and camp is going on at Kotla. I don’t know. I don’t know who gave him permission to skip the Ranji Trophy camp,” Sharma told PTI.
“Ishant’s case is different from others as he does not need DDCA permission as he is not playing Ranji Trophy.” It is known that generally, if the IPL pre-season training camp coincides with the state team camp, permission must usually be sought from either the President or the Secretary before attending an IPL net session.
“We have received several formal email requests from some players seeking permission to join their IPL camps, but I can confirm that we have not received a written request from Anuj Rawat. In this case, he should not have joined the IPL. camp,” said a senior DDCA official who oversees cricket operations on condition of anonymity.
Last year’s IPL winning KKR captain Shreyas Iyerwho will lead the Punjab Kings this season, lost his central contract along with Ishan Kishanfor giving more importance to IPL than domestic cricket.
(with PTI inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
Leave a comment