New delhi, April 16: Cricketers employed with the ONGC got a bolt from the blue just 48 hours before they kick off their Indian Premier League campaign. International players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar and Amit Mishra were among those ONGC cricketers who received a letter from their employers asking them a host of clarifications.

The letter asks the players to furnish the contract papers they signed with the franchise, reiterates that their leave application was still pending for approval and expresses regret that the company wouldn’t be able to utilise their services for the DDCA Hot-Weather tournament and other annual Delhi club games because of IPL commitments.

The letter that was handed over to the players in person says: “You are advised to take a formal approval from ONGC to participate in the IPL. You are also required to furnish a copy of contract with GMR. As you are aware, ONGC is participating in DDCA Hot Weather tournament for which your services are not available to us.”

Interestingly, the players employed by ONGC have already informed their respective departments of their IPL commitments and applied for leave. One such player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said “I have informed the company as I always do for all board matches. We don’t have to take any further permission. But this time, we were told that we need to first furnish our contract details and only then they will consider. We are in a catch-22 situation now,” he said.

Another international player said in jest. “If they really wanted us to play for ONGC and give them the visibility, they too could have bought a franchisee in the IPL,” he says.