Rahul Tripathi fined by Pune police for breaching COVID-19 lockdown norms

Rahul Tripathi, who was last seen in the 14^th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), is in news again for the wrong reasons. The Maharashtra player was fined by Pune police for allegedly violating the COVID-19 lockdown norms on Friday, May 28.

Apart from being a decent batter, Tripathi is known for his discipline, punctuality and his joyful nature. Recently his KKR teammate Pat Cummins, in an interview, shared how cheerful and happy Tripathi is off-field. He always enjoys other players’ success and is ready to do anything for the team. Hence, this negative news of Tripathi not following the COVID-19 protocols might come as surprise to people who know him.

According to a report in the Indian Express, the right-hand batter was fined in Pune’s Kondhwa area for driving a car without wearing a mask. Pune is in strict lockdown and police officials are always seen inspecting the containment areas and look to impose fine against the lockdown violators. With the rising number of cases, and Maharashtra being the worst affected state, the government has now extended the COVID-19 restrictions till June 15.

Tripathi not following the COVID-19 lockdown rules

Tripathi was driving a car without wearing his mask at the Khadi machine chowk in Kondhwa around Friday noon. The 30-year-old, though, was not lucky enough to escape the watchful eyes of the police, who slapped him a fine of INR 500 and also issued a receipt for the same.

“The cricketer Tripathi was not wearing a face mask and was driving around without any reason during the lockdown. There were some other persons in the car,” said senior inspector Sardar Patil of Kondhwa police station.

As a responsible citizen, Tripathi’s careless behavior may not set a good example, as India is currently battling a second wave of COVID-19 which has already taken over 3.22 lakh lives.

Before the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was suspended on 4th May, 2021, due to rising cases of Covid-19 inside teams’ bio-bubbles, Rahul Tripathi was one of the bright spots for his team KKR, scoring 187 runs at an average of 26.71.