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The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is one of the finest regional franchise based tournament in India. Over the years, it has produced some great talents. Now one of the all-rounders from the tournament who made his debut for Tamil Nadu last year in the Ranji Trophy has been restricted from taking part in the ongoing season of TNPL.
The name of the player has been undisclosed in reports by the Indian Express. The unnamed cricketer is barred from taking further part in the TNPL season after breaching anti-corruption protocols. After the incident, he has been released from the franchise; surprisingly, the name of the TNPL franchise remains undisclosed.
What happened in TNPL?
As per the report from the Indian Express, the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recovered a mobile phone which the player had not submitted in the respective place when he was in the Player and Match Officials Area (PMOA). This is a serious breach as no phones are allowed inside the dressing room.
According to the same report, the incident occurred a few days back on August 10 at the NPR College ground in Dindigul’s Natham. The ACSU reported it to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) after the incident occurred.
"Instructed the team owners not to consider him"- U Bhagawandas Rao on TNPL controversy
The TNCA secretary, U Bhagawandas Rao, stated that they have received the report from the ACSU and they have instructed the player and the owners that he should not be taking the field further in the season until the investigation is over. They are investigating the matter and the necessary actions will be taken.
“We have received a letter (from the ACSU) about this incident,” TNCA secretary U Bhagawandas Rao said. “We have instructed the team owners not to consider him for selection until the enquiry is over. We are currently investigating the matter and will take appropriate action,” he added.
"He could not explain the violation"- ACSU on PMOA violation
Apart from being suspended, the ACSU has proposed a punishment of INR 1 lakh for this athlete's first violation of the anti-corruption rule. According to ACSU sources, the player was caught using a mobile phone, “which is a gross violation of the code of conduct for the players.”
Sources in the ACSU added, “The player was confronted first but he could not explain the violation. He was served notice and asked to reply, which he did. His reply too was found unsatisfactory and thus a fine of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on him.”
Any further punishment and additional imposition of the fine will be decided by TNCA after the body completes its own investigation. The TNCA have asked the player to appear on Friday for an inquiry.
According to the report, it is also believed that the ACSU have not found any direct contact of the player with any betting site or any kind of bookies from the mobile phone recovered from the player, as hiding any communication device from the authorities is a breach of PMOA and anti-corruption protocols.
