Ambati Rayudu suspended for breaching BCCI’s Code of Conduct

Hyderabad domestic team captain Ambati Rayudu has been suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for two matches after the senior cricketer was found guilty of breaching the board’s Code of Conduct for players. Thus Rayudu will miss out on Hyderabad’s first two encounters in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-overs tournament. That will be played on February 5 and 6, also the first two days of the tournament.

The axe fell on Rayudu for his conduct during the Hyderabad vs Karnataka Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match. The match attracted controversy when the Hyderabad team denied leaving the field after the conclusion of the match which in turn also delayed and cut short the next match that was supposed to be played at the same venue.

The turn of events

During Karnataka’s batting innings, Hyderabad’s Mehedi Hasan fielding a ball on the ropes and the umpire awarded the batting team just two runs, skipper Vinay Kumar had an elaborate discussion with the on-field officials and they decided to add two runs to the team score at the end of the inning.

As dramatic as it could get, the winning margin of the match was also two runs. After the conclusion of the 40 overs as Karnataka were the winners, Rayudu & Co. waited on the field in what looked like a protest. They claimed that the team was waiting for a super over since the contest was a tie as per their calculation of scores. All this consumed valuable time from the next match that was to follow.

As a result, the Kerala vs Andhara match was reduced to 13-over a side affair. The board had asked the match officials to submit their report in the matter and after an assessment the disciplinary committee today announced the suspension. Rayudu has over the years been known for his hot-headed approach and a few months ago was involved in a public scuffle with a senior citizen.

IPL 2018 Auction

In the recently held IPL 2018 auction, the 32-year-old was signed up by the Chennai Super Kings for INR 2.2 crore. Having represented Mumbai Indians for the most part of his career where he tasted a lot of success, Rayudu will now be playing under MS Dhoni at CSK.