KKR's Rahul Tripathi fined for violating COVID-19 lockdown norms
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Rahul Tripathi was fined by Pune Police for allegedly violating the COVID-19 lockdown norms on Friday.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the 30-year-old was fined in Pune’s Kondhwa area for driving a car without wearing a mask.
The Pune Police team were inspecting the area and looking to take action against the lockdown violators. The Maharashtra government has extended the COVID-19 restrictions till June 15. India's worst-affected state has recorded almost 5.7 crore cases with over 92,200 deaths.
Rahul Tripathi, who plays for KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL), represents Maharashtra on the domestic circuit. He was driving a car without wearing a mask at the Khadi Machine Chock in Kondhwa around Friday noon. Tripathy was slapped with a fine of ₹500 and was 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.
India are among the worst-affected countries due to COVID-19. The number of officially infected cases is inching closer to the 2.8 crore mark, with over 3.22 lakh people having already lost their lives. According to several reports, the actual estimates are alarmingly multiple times higher.
Rahul Tripathi in IPL 2021
Before IPL 2021 was indefinitely suspended owing to rising COVID-19 cases inside the teams' bio-bubbles, Rahul Tripathi was one of the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for KKR.
Tripathi is the franchise's second-highest run-getter this season, accumulating 187 runs at an average of 26.71, while his strike rate reads 135.5.
Rahul Tripathi, who made his IPL debut with the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2017, played the next two seasons for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) before being traded to KKR in 2020 for ₹60 lakh. The Eoin Morgan-led KKR are currently languishing in seventh spot with only two wins from their seven outings.