Salil Ankola distances himself from banned CIC members for interference claims

Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) Chairman of the selection committee, Salil Ankola has distanced himself from two of the sacked members of MCA’s Improvement Committee (CIC) Lalchand Rajput and Raju Kulkarni. They had earlier claimed to the MCA ombudsman that the selectors were ready to justification and testify in their favour. As per reports it os learnt that Rajput questioned the fact that the secretaries had interfered in CIC matters and included players in the XI without the approval of the selectors. 

Salil Ankola, the current MCA selection committee head who is a former cricketer and an actor stated that neither Rajput nor Kulkarni had spoken with him in this regard and he is not ready to testify in front of  Ombudsman Justice Vijaya Tahiliramani. 

“This is to inform about the recent series of allegations made by the Cricket Improvement Committee on ‘interference of secretaries in the selection process. There have been recent media reports on Mr Lalchand Rajput and Mr Raju Kulkarni stating that ‘selectors’ are willing to testify for the interference to the MCA Ombudsman,” Ankola was quoted as saying during an official statement. 

“I, as a chairman of the selection committee for Mumbai Cricket Association, would like to place it on record that I have never spoken to Rajput on the above issue. Neither I have given any consent to testify in front of anyone. As a chairman of the selection committee, I have been transparent and always kept Mumbai’s interest above anything else.”

Meanwhile, it must be noted that Ankola’s statement has come after both Rajput and Kulkarni submitted a petition to the MCA ombudsman contesting their removal from CIC.     

“Selectors are willing to testify for the interference: e.g. inclusion of 2 players in 20 selected by senior team selectors for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 (SMAT) after BCCI allowed 22 players due to Covid, instead of 20. The same 2 players were included in the playing 11 in the SMAT in some matches. Also, a left-arm bowler who was not in the original 20, who was a number 11 batsman, was made to open the innings in the SMAT,” the petition says.