The BCCI issued a show-cause notice to out-of-favour India cricketer and KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik for attending the inaugural match of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019 on Thursday. He was spotted in the dressing room of the Trinbago Knight Riders, a franchise owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
“Yes, Dinesh Karthik has been issued a show-cause notice by the BCCI. We have received photographs where Karthik is seen in the dressing room of Trinbago Knight Riders. BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has issued a show-cause notice asking him to explain why his central contract shouldn’t be annulled,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.
The cricketing board got a screengrab of Karthik, who was seen sporting the Trinbago Knight Riders jersey and relaxing beside Brendon McCullum.
According to reports, the 34-year-old did not take the BCCI’s permission before attending the promotional event in Port of Spain.
“As a centrally contracted cricketer, Dinesh Karthik had no business being seen in a franchise league which is not IPL. His central contract prevents him from being associated with any private league as it has been the BCCI clause for all active first-class cricketers,” the senior official added.
Karthik, who has featured in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 32 T20Is for his country, would be expected to turn up with a sincere apology as early as possible. The Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament is slated to get underway from September 24, where he has been appointed as the captain of Tamil Nadu.
Dinesh Karthik had a disappointing outing in the 2019 World Cup. He managed to score only 8 and 6 runs in the two matches that he played. In fact, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman’s inclusion in the World Cup squad had raised many eyebrows.
