Ravichandran Ashwin not cleared to play the TNPL semi-final by BCCI - reports
Indian Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who is currently playing the Tamil Nadu Premier League, is reported to have been disallowed by the BCCI to take part in the semi-finals of the tournament. The Dindigul Dragons are scheduled to play the Tuti Patriots in the last-four clash on Friday and missing their skipper ahead of a crucial match would be a big blow to them.
The primary reason for taking such a bold step is to preserve an asset like Ravichandran Ashwin for the upcoming series against New Zealand beginning next week followed by a series against England later this year. The Tamil Nadu-based Cricketer has been in tremendous form recently during the Test series against West Indies where he scored two centuries and took numerous wickets to help India win 2-0 in the 4-match encounter.
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An undisclosed source stated that the Dindigul side were awaiting clearance from the BCCI, "Dindigul management thought Ashwin would be available for the match as the national camp was scheduled from September 17. They were awaiting confirmation and clearance from BCCI. However, it didn't happen."
So far, the Indian all-rounder has played two matches for the Dindigul Dragons after taking his long trip back from the United States against the West Indies after the two-match T20 series. The interesting fact is that the off-spinner played a match for the Tamil Nadu side the same day he landed from the USA.
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To make things worse for the Dindigul Dragons, their opponents Tuti Patriots will have the services of Dinesh Karthik at their disposal as he has returned from Duleep Trophy commitments. It is also learnt from the reports of Cricbuzz that Abhinav Mukund has also joined the Patriots but it is not certain if he has recovered from the injury he suffered during the last day of the Duleep Trophy.
Ashwin, who turns 30 this Saturday, is regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the present day, having garnered 193 wickets in just 36 Tests including 4 centuries and 6 fifties. With three big teams set to tour India in a packed season, his experience will be more than useful for the home side.