Odisha cricketer banned by BCCI for age fraud right before Ranji Trophy 2023-24

Odisha cricket team are placed in group D of Ranji Trophy 2023-24.

Age fraud has come back to haunt Indian cricket again. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly banned Odisha’s all-rounder Sumit Sharma from playing in any domestic cricket tournament for next two years. BCCI disciplinary committee took an action against Sumit Sharma for producing fake multiple age certificates. Sumit Sharma was part of Odisha squad for Ranji Trophy 2023-24.

All-rounder Sumit Sharma was found guilty of producing two different age certificates. Sumit gave a different age certificate for Odisha cricket team, which differs from the previous one he submitted in 2015-16. Sumit Sharma travelled to Vadodara to play Odisha’s tournament opener against Baroda on Friday. Ranji Trophy 2024 will commence on Friday.

Sumit Sharma’s replacement named

Odisha’s senior selection committee has named Tarini Sa as Sumit Sharma’s replacement in the squad that travelled to Vadodara to take on Baroda at Moti Bagh Stadium. BCCI took a strict stance on age fraud and has started imposing strict bans on players. There have been a few cases in the past that prompted the board to act strictly in this regard.

“Sumit Sharma, a player of Odisha Senior Men’s Team, has been disqualified by the BCCI to play in the BCCI Domestic Tournaments for 2 years as he has produced multiple age certificates. The certificates produced by him when he played at the junior level in the year 2015-16 do not match with the ones he produced for the current season.” Stated OCA secretary Sanjay Behera in a press statement.

The 89th edition of Ranji Trophy will commence on Friday with each 38 teams playing their opening game on 5th January. Odisha will be playing against Baroda in the group D encounter. Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, and Uttarakhand are also part of group D along with Odisha and Baroda.

Saurashtra won the previous edition of Ranji Trophy defeating Bengal in the finals. Ranji Trophy 2023 finals was played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In the upcoming season, the finals will be played on 11th February 2024. The venue for the big final is yet to be decided. A total of 138 matches will be played in Ranji Trophy 2023-25.

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