IPL 2020: KKR likely to lose age-fudging accused stars Shivam Mavi and Nitish Rana

India batsman Manjot Kalra, who came into limelight because of his impressive ton in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup final against Australia. been banned from playing age-group cricket for 2 years by the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) ombudsman. A member of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning squad Kalra has been under scrutiny for fudging his age-related documents even before the marquee youth tournament in 2018. The southpaw, who was eventually allowed to feature in the tournament, could not prove that the allegations levied against him were wrong.

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Courtesy his brilliant performances in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, Delhi Capitals picked him in the same season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, Kalra could not make his debut for the franchise because the Capitals had enough openers to choose from. The southpaw was released by the franchise ahead of the 2020 IPL Auction and subsequently went unsold with this development being the potential reason behind it.

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Kalra hasn't been in good form for Delhi and has played just two T20s so far. He played both the games in March this year and managed to score only 13 before being dropped. He will now be hoping that he makes it to the senior team as he will not be able to play age-level cricket for the next two years. He, however, can play in other competitions as well as IPL.

KKR players under scrutiny for age fudging as well

Meanwhile, two other cricketers, Nitish Rana and Shivam Mavi are also under scrutiny for age fudging. Both the players are an integral part of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Rana was one of the 22 players to be banned by BCCI for age fudging in 2015. He is now 26 and cannot play age cricket. It is unlikely that he will be banned from playing senior cricket. A decision on Rana’s future is expected soon. 

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On the other hand, Mavi’s case has been referred to the BCCI. Mavi, who was one of the spearheads of India U-19 World Cup-winning campaign, has played 6 first-class games and 16 List-A matches where he has picked up a total of 47 wickets. He is expected to be one of KKR's breakout stars in the IPL 2020, having missed out playing for the team in the last two seasons, making his potential ban a huge blow for the 2-time IPL champions.

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