Banned in 2013, the 41-year-old has not played a single match in the IPL in the last 11 years
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is an ever-changing tournament where a new record is set every day, whereas an old one is shattered simultaneously. However, at times, some records stay intact for a really long time – in this case, for 11 years. The record in question is about a bowler who had an impeccable tenure with IPL’s inaugural champions, Rajasthan Royals.
Remember Siddharth Trivedi? If not, let us remind you that he is Rajasthan Royals second highest overall and highest Indian wicket-taker till date despite not playing an IPL game since 2013 when he was handed over a one-year ban by the BCCI.
Trivedi made his IPL debut with Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural season of the tournament. In the first season, he proved to be a crucial part of the franchise as he picked 13 wickets in 15 games, having conceded 399 runs and an economy of 30.69. He was heavily praised by former Royals’ captain, the late Shane Warne.
Siddharth stayed with Rajasthan Royals till 2013, playing 76 games and 75 innings for the franchise in the west. In five years, he became Rajasthan Royals; he collected wickets with a best figure of 4/25, maintaining an average of 7.58. He was also known for his consistency, having picked six wickets in seven matches in 2009, 11 wickets in 11 games in 2010, 10 wickets in 12 games in 2011, 13 wickets in 14 games in 2012 and 12 wickets in 17 matches in 2013. He is still Rajasthan Royals’ second highest wicket taker.
In 2013, all hell broke loss for a young Trivedi when he was slapped with a one-year ban by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not reporting a bookie approaching him for fixing IPL matches. The investigation gave him a clear chit that he was not involved in the 2013 IPL fixing scandal.
In 2014-2015, he made a domestic comeback in the Ranji Trophy for the Saurashtra team, but after 2015, he disappeared from competitive cricket completely. Due to his ban, no other IPL team has picked him up at the auction. Already in his 30s in 2015, Trivedi’s time to become an international player for India was behind his glory days.
In an exclusive Sportskeeda interview, Trivedi recalled the ban stating, “It was unexpected (the ban). I am sure everyone is aware, I was not involved in wrongdoing. It was unfortunate, it took a long time for me and my family to come out of this. That year I had performed the best with 15 wickets. There were chances to make the Indian team.”
Trivedi made his First Class debut in the early 2000s. He played 82 First Class matches and 78 List A games, picking 375 wickets. Not to forget, he also has 15 five-wicket haul etched in his name. Furthermore, even when the late Shane Warne named his favourite Indian IPL XI, Warne had included Trivedi’s name on the list.
Following his ban, Trivedi switched to coaching and as per his present Instagram bio, he is serving as the head coach of the Manipur U-23 men’s team.
