Ankeet Chavan was arrested in 2013 alongside Ajit Chandila and S Sreesanth by the Delhi Police on charges of spot-fixing during the IPL sixth edition. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to end his ban and now the Mumbai spinner will be able to play professional cricket.
BCCI has finally accepted Mumbai left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan’s plea that he be allowed to play professional cricket since Board Ombudsman DK Jain has reduced his life ban to seven years.
Ankeet Chavan Will Now Be Able To Play Professional Cricket After BCCI Ends His Ban
Sources within the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) confirmed the development to ANI on Tuesday.
“Yes, the BCCI has ended Chavan’s ban and he will now be able to play professional cricket,” the source said.
In 2013, Ankeet Chavan was arrested on charges of spot-fixing during the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) sixth edition. He was arrested by the Delhi police alongside Ajit Chandila and S Sreesanth. The trio was at that time playing for Rajasthan Royals. Though he’s 35 now, the spinner thinks he can make it back into the Mumbai team.
While the ban in principle got over in September 2020, unlike S Sreesanth, whose order for a similar term reduction arrived last August, the spinner had to wait till May 3, 2021, to get a copy of the order from the ombudsman.
He subsequently requested the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to apply to the BCCI for a confirmation letter, a requisite for him to return to competitive cricket, which he received on June 15 from Hemang Amin, BCCI interim chief executive.
Ankeet Chavan And S Sreesanth Were Banned From Cricket For Life In 2013
In September 2013, Ankeet Chavan and S Sreesanth were banned from cricket for life by the BCCI’s disciplinary committee. However, in July 2015, the Delhi Court gave a clean chit and discharged him of all the charges in the IPL spot-fixing case.
S Sreesanth’s ban was lifted by the BCCI last year, and as a result, the pacer made a comeback in domestic cricket and he even represented Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Ankeet Chavan, 35, has played 18 first-class matches, 20 List A games, and 26 T20s. His last representative match was against the Mumbai Indians in the 2013 IPL season. Ankeet Chavan was one of three Rajasthan Royals players, along with S Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila, to be charge-sheeted by the Delhi Police at the time. S Sreesanth had received his order before his ban ended last year, allowing him to participate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this year.
S Sreesanth made a stellar statement by picking a five-wicket haul in the 50 overs Vijay Hazare Trophy a few days after all IPL franchises decided to ignore him in the 2021 auction. S Sreesanth picked 13 scalps in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he was the 9th highest wicket-taker among bowlers.