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Delhi’s best batter Ayush Badoni was asked to stay in the hotel by the officials ahead of their clash against Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy. Badoni is going through a rough patch and was asked by the officials to stay back in the hotel by the officials to teach him a lesson. However, keeping Badoni out of the team, led Delhi to put another low total on the board as they fell prey to the powerful effort of Uttarakhand bowlers.
The rival bowlers bundled out Delhi batters at just 147 in the Ranji Trophy Group D match in Mohali. Notably, Badoni is probably the only stable player on his side in the ongoing edition of the tournament. In the last game for Delhi, Badoni scored 41 runs, and in the match with Uttarakhand, he was kept out of the team to accommodate Kshitiz Sharma, who happens to be close to a former BCCI official.
There was pressure to play Kshitiz and specifically to keep Badoni out: Senior DDCA official
A senior DDCA official confirmed the incident and told PTI, "Yes, there was pressure to play Kshitiz and specifically to keep Badoni out of 15, so that he doesn't even get BCCI's allotted match fees. Only 15 players are entitled to BCCI match fees. Since he can't be allowed in PMOA (Players and Match Officials Area), it was thought that it would be better off to keep him in hotel.”
On being asked about why he wasn’t brought to the ground when he could watch the match from the VIP gallery, the source said, "The team managers would have had to arrange for his meals separately as BCCI wouldn't have paid for it and also during breaks or match, he couldn't have attended the nets as Punjab CA have their camp on. So it was better to keep him in hotel.”
He added, "If Ayush would have scored a 100, those who desperately want to see him out of Delhi cricket wouldn't have got a chance to raise their voice and push for cricketers like Kshitiz, who don't deserve to be in the dressing room. Even he should take blame for not scoring runs.”
