Rahul Dravid's U-19 team left without money for dinner

What’s the story?

The Indian Under-19 cricket team along with its staff is dealing with some bizarre circumstances. The team, currently coached by Indian great Rahul Dravid, were left without any money to purchase dinner the past few days.

A report in the Indian Express said, "Sources confirmed that the players were told the BCCI does not have an official signatory to sign on daily allowance cheques - all payments need to have the approval of the secretary. After Shirke was shown the door, along with BCCI president Anurag Thakur, the board is left with joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary. But for one of them to become the new signatory, the board's members will have to pass a new resolution.”

In case you didn’t know...

Anurag Thakur was the President of the BCCI but he was sacked on 2^nd of January and the Secretary Ajay Shirke was also removed from his post. This has led to many complications in Indian cricket and one of them is the financing of the team at all levels across the country.

All the state boards, meanwhile, have written to the BCCI about their inability to host matches if funds are not accredited to them.

The heart of the matter

After the dismissal of the president and the secretary, it is now the turn of the officials to leave their respective offices. The BCCI is left with only joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary at the moment. If one of them should become the official signatory, a new resolution has to be approved by other members of the board.

In addition to this, post-demonetization, the weekly withdrawal limit is just Rs 24,000 per week. In addition to this, in the last fortnight, the U-19 cricketers have not received their daily allowance of Rs 6,800. This has led to the players relying on their parents’ money for survival.

The breakfast for the team is complimentary and lunch is being provided by the Mumbai Cricket Association. For dinner, however, the players will have to continue to seek their parents’ financial assistance.

A BCCI official responded to matters regarding the same. He promised that the players, coach, and staff shall receive their allowance once the series concludes.

What’s next?

Currently, the U-19 team is playing against the England U-19 team in Mumbai. The fifth ODI is in progress and it will be followed by two unofficial Test matches.

Sportskeeda’s take

The U-19 cricketers are the future of Indian cricket. The board or the Lodha panel have to ensure that the players and staff do not experience such turbulent times in the future. It is a pity that the junior cricketers are going through such a testing time at such a young age and hopefully it doesn't lead to them dropping out of the game. For the moment, all we can do is hope that the issue will be sorted at the earliest.