'Order it from Swiggy, Zomato': Uttarakhand Ranji players face mental harassment

On June 9 (Thursday), Uttarakhand faced defeat by 725 runs to Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2021/22 quarter-finals. This game is etched into the history books as the highest margin of victory ever registered in first-class cricket.

Apart from their disappointing show on the field, the Uttarakhand players face mental harassment off the field as well. 

In an investigative report by News 9, the players' daily allowances (DA) have been reduced to 100 rupees. Moreover, this amount was delayed as well, which left the players fuming ahead of their clash with Mumbai. 

One of the players headed to the team manager for an update on the DA. In reply, the manager said that until the amount is received, he can order it through the food delivery partners, Swiggy and Zomato, with their own money. 

“Arre kyun baar baar yeh sawaal poochte rehte ho, bhai? Paise aa jaayenge … tab tak aap Swiggy-Zomato se mangva lijiye, na (why do you keep asking the same question? You'll get money, till then order it over Swiggy-Zomato)."

In 2020, Danny Pereira, a sports physiotherapist for the Uttarakhand state team, had also complained of not receiving his due remuneration, delaying a couple of months. 

The report claims that the allowances for the Uttarakhand senior cricketer are 1500 rupees per day, but over the last 12 months, the players have been receiving only 100 rupees per day, on average. 

"Officially, the DA for each Uttarakhand senior cricketer is Rs 1,500, which is known to drop to Rs 1,000 and rise to Rs 2,000. The reality, however, is that for the last 12 months, the cricketers have, on average, been given a paltry Rs 100 per day," the report said.

Poor money management, financial irregularities, and illegal team selections by Uttarakhand Cricket Association are some of the points raised in this report. 

In the audit report for the financial year ending March 31, 2021, the CAU had listed the expenses for a few items, which certainly put a question mark on the allowances of paltry 100 rupees to the players. 

"Under the sub-heading 'Tournament & Trial Camp Expenses,' the CAU has claimed expenses of Rs 1,74,07,346 for food and catering and Rs 49,58,750 for daily allowances. Even more shockingly, there are expenses worth Rs 35 lakh for bananas and water bottles worth Rs 22 lakh. And players get Rs 100 per day as allowance."