Cricket news - BCCI cancels registration of eight Puducherry players

Eight senior players of domestic debutants Puducherry had their registration cancelled by the BCCI on the eve of their Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Uttarakhand, for allegedly flouting eligibility criteria, PTI reported on Thursday (September 20).

Consequently, Puducherry added seven replacements to their squad overnight and were forced to field a new-look team without any of the eight expelled players - Shashank Singh, ST Xavier, Nikhilesh Surendran, Iqlas N, Abdul Safar VS, Yash Jadhav, Sagar Trivedi, Ashith Rajiv.

The parent body was acting on several complaints against the Puducherry side after their opening game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Manipur on Wednesday. The concerns raised targeted the number of players fielded as guest players, which is limited to just three, according to BCCI's rules. With seemingly more players from outside the union territory representing the side, concerns were drawn towards the eligibility certificates provided by certain players to represent the team.

As per the letter written by Saba Karim, BCCI General Manager (Cricket Operations), the submitted proof of education or employment of all eight players was found to be not even a month old. Karim further stated that, as per rules, players studying or residing in Puducherry only from the month of August, 2018 won't be considered eligible to play for the state.