Picture Credit: Twitter
The inaugural edition of the Rajasthan Premier League 2023 is underway with its first few matches scheduled to take place at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium in Jodhpur, followed by the next few matches set to take place at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
However, the league commenced with much light and glitter in Jodhpur, the tournament also saw some hiccups as Rajasthan-born cricketer Siddharth Kamal Saraf was dropped by Jaipur Indians' a few days before team's first game.
The 30-year-old who was initially auctioned for a base price of INR 3.5 Lakh was dropped from the side despite confirming the travel to Jodhpur. In an interview, the left-handed batter threw light on this sudden decision of the team dropping him.
Question: What is the controversy and how did it happen?
Answer: In the interview, Saraf quoted, “All players from Rajasthan, Ranji and IPL players were listed in the auction list. All players listed out were auctioned from the list and I was picked by Jaipur team - Jaipur Indians from the Ranji list bracket. All began their preparations from there on and the league saw a slight delay as it was earlier scheduled to start from August 19.”
“The Jaipur Indians team then formed a WhatsApp group and added all 15-members selected in the side. The list was also shared with the BCCI for approval and I was also a part of it. As the discussions proceeded, all members were set to resume camp in Jodhpur from August 24 and the players had confirmed their tickets.” On the night of August 23, Saraf confirmed that he was removed from the group and further added, “I inquired and confirmed that RCA had done some reshuffling and added a few players to a different teams but my name was not in any team.”
Question: Was your name put by you or cricket association had included it in the list?
Answer: The 30-year-old cricketer confirmed that his name was added by the state cricket association and had approached him. “There is a criterion in the league and all players who have represented Ranji Trophy is last five years were included in the list. There were 34 players from Rajasthan and I was part of it,” he quoted.
Question: At what price were you bought in the RPL 2023 Auction?
Answer: The Auction price is official. The base price of Ranji Trophy INR 3.5 Lakh is what I was sold into Jaipur Indians in the RPL Auction.
Question: Did the team preparations also begin with the creation of the WhatsApp group?
Answer: The 30-year-old Ranji cricketer on being asked if the preparation began with the formation of the WhatsApp group, responded, “Nothing was confirmed to the players, as well as the owners as the league saw a slight delay after several meetings of the RCA and the team owners of the six franchises. Noting was clear on the when will the begin and other things.” Adding to this he said that thus players were doing a “self-practice” and the official practice was set to begin from August 24 in Jodhpur.
Question: Did you join the team officially?
Answer: The Rajasthan Ranji cricketer confirmed that only one official thing was done and that was the creation of the WhatsApp group. Furthermore, he added that the official draft was shared with the BCCI and “my name was there in the list, but nothing was done officially on stamp as the timeline was not certain”.
Question: Did you receive any official contract from Jaipur Indians in RPL 2023?
Answer: No, there was no official contract like this.
Question: According to you, what is the reason behind the franchise dropping your name?
Answer: I inquired my colleagues to check the list as soon as I got to know about this and check if I haven’t been drafted in some other team as there was reshuffling done and players were added. I asked for the reason behind this sudden exclusion and also spoke to the Secretary of RCA among other officials.
Question: Were there any other players who were also dropped?
Answer: There were 4-5 players along with me who were omitted from the team but they were added the very next day, except me.
Question: How do you feel right now and what are your expectations from the association?
Answer: I was picked by Jaipur Indians for INR 3.5 Lakh in the RPL Auction 2023 and was set to reach Jodhpur but just a night prior to the start of the camp, I was removed from the WhatsApp Group. It was the only humiliating thing. I just want someone to guide me in this situation and want to look for and official statement on the same.
Question: Are you eyeing to make a shift to some other cricket board after Karun Nair's move?
Answer: It's too early to say that I will think about switching the board.
