Railways have set the ball rolling when it comes to dealing with erring players. Cricketers who failed to turn up for the Ranji Trophy trials that started on Monday will face severe action from the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB). Players in the past had opted to play for their home states despite being employed by Railways on sports quota.

RSPB secretary Rakesh Yadav has said that Railways have the first choice of picking the players and penalising those who miss the camp.

“All players will have to attend the trials and those who miss will face action. Having said that, only a few will be selected for the team and those who miss out can play for other teams,” he told Sportline. On being asked whether the punished players will also risk job termination, Yadav gave an example, saying: “We have acted against the erring players in the past too, when Laxmi Ratan Shukla and few of the Bengal players weren’t willing to play for us.” Shukla and his followers had to give up their jobs in order to play for Bengal.

‘Tough group’
Coach Abhay Sharma was more forthcoming on the matter. “We are in a tough group. We have to ensure that all the best players come and attend our trials. It’s bizarre to face good players in the opposition ranks, who are on Railways pay-rolls,” he said.

RSPB’s urgency this year, however, comes from the fact that Railways have been placed in a tough group for the coming domestic season that also features Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Punjab and Orissa.

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