Former spot-fixing accused Ankeet Chavan appointed Mumbai U-14 head coach after ban lifted by BCCI

New Delhi: In a shocking decision, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Chairman has appointed Ankeet Chavan to fill the position of the head coach Under-14 team. The move has triggered much interest considering that Chavan had been involved in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal of the IPL, prompting the BCCI to hand him a life ban.

Ankeet Chavan’s appointment

Arihant Chavan is among the three Rajasthan Royals (RR) players who were given a lifetime ban on their role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, an episode that cost paceman S Sreesanth his career as well. But in 2021, the BCCI cut down the ban imposed on Chavan to seven years, which allowed him to come back to the sport. This choice paved the way to his returning to competitive cricket two years prior to taking over his new coaching position. In his career, Chavan played in 18 first-class matches, 20 List A games and 13 IPL matches.

Chavan remained attached to the game, and he still played club cricket with the Karnataka Sports Club in Mumbai. He brought out his commitment to the sport by passing the Level-1 coaching test. His new job, as the Under-14 coach of the MCA is the new start of his cricketing career.

S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan were handed life ban by the disciplinary committee of the BCCI due to the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. All three of the players were acquitted at trial in a Delhi Court in 2015 because there was not enough evidence to prove their guilt, yet the BCCI still imposed the penalties until June 2021 when Chavan had his suspension formally reduced by two years to seven years.

The MCA announced on Wednesday other coaching and selection updates with Omkar Salvi continuing as head coach of the Ranji Trophy squad. This has been four years in the making following a successful season in his direction and has also seen him get bowling coach position with Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the meantime, the former India cricketer Sandeep Patil will still remain chairman of the selection committee.

In a conversation with Indian Express, Chavan considered the coaching stint as his second innings.

“This is a second innings for me, and I am eagerly looking forward to it. There is always a chance to make a comeback in life. I want to thank the Mumbai Cricket Association for putting their faith in me. Coaching has always been on my mind, and I am aware of the challenges that lie ahead. At the Under-14 level, I want to focus on developing the players’ basic techniques to help them improve their game,” Chavan told Indian Express.

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