Discrepancies in Aadhaar, certificates - BCCI bans cricketer Rohit Yadav for 2 years over age fraud

Kolkata: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has handed a two-year suspension to Bengal leg-spinner Rohit Yadav for allegedly misrepresenting his age. The disciplinary action comes just weeks after the bowler was named in the national Under-19 squad for the upcoming series against Australia.

The Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer previously featured for the India U-19 team during their tour of Sri Lanka in July, where he picked up six wickets and played a key role in securing victory in the final Test.

"He has been banned for two years," said a BCCI source.

The ban effectively rules him out of India's U-19 squad for the upcoming home one-dayers and multi-day matches against Australia U-19, scheduled to take place in Rajkot and Ahmedabad later this month.

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The discrepancy was uncovered during a document verification process in Sri Lanka. Scrutiny revealed that Rohit possessed three separate birth certificates listing different birth years — 2007, 2009, and 2010 — rendering him ineligible for age-group competitions.

Inconsistencies were also detected in his official identity records. When he initially registered with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), his year of birth was recorded as 2007. However, updates to his official records in 2017 and 2020 listed his birth year as 2006, before being altered again to 2009 in 2021.

Prior to the BCCI's action, the CAB had barred Rohit from its junior teams due to these document mismatches and subsequently escalated the matter to the national board. The BCCI has now barred the player from all domestic cricket for two years and formally notified all affiliated state units.

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CAB suspends 62 cricketers over document inconsistencies

As part of a wider administrative crackdown, the CAB has declared 62 players ineligible for registration or transfer for any tournament during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons following extensive scrutiny of age and documentation records.

The list of penalised players features notable names, including former India U-19 World Cup winner Ravi Kumar and left-arm spin all-rounder Vishal Bhatti, who has featured in three first-class and two List A matches.

Ravi, who played a crucial role in India's 2022 Under-19 World Cup victory, was flagged after CAB records revealed a 45-month age discrepancy. The state association identified major age-related inconsistencies involving several other age-group cricketers, with some cases showing gaps of multiple years.

The full details of the document audit have been published on the CAB’s official website. (PTI)