The news was confirmed by Madhya Pradesh and IPL 2024 winning coach with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - Chandrakant Pandit.
In a shocking development, Hanuma Vihari has decided to back out of playing for Madhya Pradesh in the upcoming domestic season, News18 has reported. The development comes after Vihari received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from his former state (Andhra Pradesh) after much drama.
The news was confirmed by Madhya Pradesh and IPL 2024 winning coach with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – Chandrakant Pandit.
Pandit said to News18, “He has backed out. I got a message this morning that he will not be playing for us. It’s unfortunate but we can’t help it.”
What had apparently happened was that after getting the NOC from Andhra, Vihari did not send the paperwork through to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) for almost two weeks. MPCA office-bearers kept waiting to complete all the formalities but there was no response from Vihari.
Coach Pandit too tried establishing contact with Vihari for the last 4-5 days but the right-hander only called back last evening.
“I have been trying to speak to him for the last 5-6 days but wasn’t able to talk. I then dropped him a message and he called back last evening and said he would update me. This morning I got a message from him that he will not be able to play for us,” adds Pandit.
Vihari was reportedly set to join the Madhya Pradesh team in a leadership role but his last-moment back out hasn’t gone down well with the officials.
Previously, earlier this year, Vihari had a fallout with the Andhra Cricket Association following which he had contacted Pandit seeking an opportunity.
Although Vihari hasn’t yet responded, those close to developments feel the political landscape in the region have forced the batter to make an U-turn.
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