U-19 World Cup hero Manjot Kalra got suspended for 1 year from Ranji Trophy for ‘age-fraud’

Young left-handed opener Manjot Kalra, who scored a hundred in the final of the last edition of U-19 World Cup, has been suspended by outgoing DDCA Ombudsman for one year from playing Ranji Trophy, for an alleged age-fraud during his U-16 and U-19 days.

However for the same offence, Delhi senior team vice-captain Nitish Rana has been let off for the time being with more documents being sought to prove that he faked his age at the junior level.

DDCA’s outgoing ombudsman, Justice (retd) Badar Durrez Ahmed, whose tenure ended on December 16, issued the order on a complaint by ex-India cricketer Kirti Azad and member Sameer Bahadur.

Kalra, player of the final, could not break into the Ranji side last year. Delhi chief selector, Bantoo Singh, told sources, “We were thinking of including him, but now there is an order, we’ll have to abide by it.”

Delhi will be without India players Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma, who helped win the previous game against Hyderabad.

However, Delhi will retain the services of batsman Nitish Rana, who too faces an age-fraud enquiry along with Harsh Tyagi, U-19 pacer Shivam Mavi, Prashant Bhandari and Sarang Rawat.