Vaibhav Sooryavanshi row: BCCI secretary breaks silence on Sri Lanka incident, says board has no role

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Sri Lanka A (Video) BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed speculation of possible action against teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi following his heated altercation with Sri Lankan cricketer Vishen Halambaga during a recent tri-nation A series match, insisting that the Indian board has no role in matters that fall within the umpires’ purview.The incident occurred after Halambage allegedly made provocative remarks during Sri Lanka A’s Super Over win over India A. Tempers flared when the Sri Lankan player approached the 15-year-old batsman, prompting Sooryavanshi to push him away during the exchange. Responding to the widespread chatter on social media about possible BCCI intervention, Saikia expressed surprise at the speculation.“Lots of things are happening on social media that BCCI is considering action etc. Do you want BCCI to enter the domain of umpires?” Speaking to news agency PTI, Saikia countered the question.

“BCCI plays no role”

The BCCI secretary emphasized that on-field disciplinary matters are handled by designated officials and that the board will not interfere with the established process.“BCCI is not an authority, we should not interfere in the area where match referees and umpires are the main persons who can decide any incident happened on the field,” Saikia said.“Whatever happened, it was part of the game and BCCI has no role. The role is that of the match referee. If something goes wrong, he takes the call, the umpires take the call and there is a system in place,” added Saikia, who is also a prominent lawyer.

Sri Lankan players sanctioned after ugly scenes

Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, Sri Lanka’s appointed match referee Pradeep Jeyapragash awarded penalties to Halambage and senior wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwell for separate offenses arising from the match.The report suggested that Halambage was punished for provocative comments directed at the Indian batsmen after Sri Lanka’s Super Over triumph, while Dickwella, who tried to prevent the confrontation from escalating, was sanctioned for over-appealing.The exact nature of the punishments remains unclear and it has not been officially confirmed whether the Indian players, including Sooryavanshi and captain Tilak Varma, have received warnings or any disciplinary action.The flashpoint came after both teams were bundled out for 265, forcing a Super Over. After 17, India A managed just nine runs with Sooryavanshi scoring six off the last three deliveries bowled by left-arm pacer Kugathas Mathulan.