The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a show-cause notice to India wicketkeeper-batsman and Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik for attending a promotional event of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Trinbago Knight Riders, which is owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
According to reports, the BCCI got a screen grab of Karthik seen wearing Trinbago Knight Riders jersey and relaxing in the dressing room alongside Brendon McCullum.
Speaking to IANS, a senior board functionary confirmed the development and said that Karthik, who was a controversial pick in India’s World Cup squad, needed to take permission before the move as he is still a centrally contracted Indian player and will have to reply to the show-cause within seven days.
“There are certain protocols which need to be followed since he is an India player. He is centrally contracted and he can’t be seen in the CPL dressing room without informing the BCCI and taking permission. He has seven days to reply to the notice,” the functionary informed.
It is to note that both the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise and IPL franchise KKR are owned by Shah Rukh Khan. But the BCCI is very clear that the Indian players should have nothing to do with foreign T20 leagues.
While it isn’t clear if it was a normal visit to the dressing room or there was some planning going on for the next season of the IPL, the 34-year-old Karthik’s fate depends on how the Committee of Administrators (CoA) look at the whole matter.
“It depends how the CoA looks at his reply to the show-cause. I am sure the committee will also keep in mind that such activities need to be taken note of as foreign leagues are very keen to have Indian representation,” the functionary pointed.
(With inputs from IANS)