In a case that highlights how the stakes have gone up at every level of Indian cricket, Plate Division team Kerala’s former Ranji Trophy coach has claimed Rs 50 lakh in damages after being sacked by the state association. Vedam Hariharan, in a legal notice to the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), has blamed the body for non-payment of salary and unfair termination of services.

TC Mathew, the secretary of KCA, confirmed receiving the notice but dismissed the allegations made by Hariharan. “We are within our rights to discontinue his services since he hasn’t fulfilled the pre-decided obligations,” Mathew said. The KCA has appointed former Tamil Nadu cricketer CS Suresh Kumar as Hariharan’s replacement for the new season.

But Hariharan said his removal was unfair. “My first stint as Kerala Ranji coach in 2007-08 was a successful one — I was also paid a bonus by the KCA as a token of its appreciation. After that, the KCA offered me a three-season contract (October to March every year), commencing in the 2008-09 season,” he said.

‘Other coaching obligations’

Mathew, however, said that Hariharan hadn’t given the promised time to the Kerala team because of other coaching obligations. “We had an understanding that he would spend five months with the team every season. But he was barely there for three months,” he said. The KCA secretary further added that there was no proper contract with Hariharan, just an exchange of letters. “We were to give him Rs 10 lakh per season but since he didn’t spend enough time with the team, we paid him Rs 6 lakh. Also, we didn’t make it to the Plate division semi-final, which shows his performance was not up to the mark.”