IPL players to undergo 'surprise' tests
Posted on May 17, 2008 at 12:47 | Updated May 17, 2008 at 18:15
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Tags: cricket, dope, IPL
New Delhi: Amid rumours that some of the players might be resorting to performance enhancing drugs in the Indian Premier League, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) team has arrived here to conduct doping tests with the players.
There were reports in a section of the media that the Kolkata Knight Riders pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar was carrying an unusually high number of syringes in his baggage while coming here. However, IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi rubbished the reports, saying the players would be subjected to random dope tests. The WADA team has nothing to do with any particular player or team.
A Pakistani newspaper The Nation has reported that a large number of syringes were found in cricketer Shoaib Akhtar's bag at the Karachi airport while he was heading to India.
Shoaib reportedly argued that he is a diabetic and needs the syringes to inject himself with insulin. However, when a senior official of the board was asked about the incident, he said it was no big deal as the syringes were empty and contained no substances.
Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer also showed ignorance over the medical history of Shoaib saying he would have to check up to find out if the fast bowler was a diabetic.
But he made it clear that Shoaib had gone to India to play in the IPL and currently he was under the preview of the IPL rules and regulations.
Modi said as per the ICC rules the WADA team would go about collecting samples from players from Saturday.
"There are surprise dope tests to begin Saturday. The (WADA) team from Sweden has already come down. We don't know which team will be subjected to the tests first or which player's samples would be taken first," Modi said.
"As per the ICC rules, the WADA team is here and the dope tests will start immediately," the BCCI vice-president said, adding "I have verified the reports, no such things were found."
According to Modi, players would be subjected to 'surprise' dope tests from Saturday.
"There are surprise dope tests to begin today. The (WADA) team from Sweden has already come down. We don't know which
team will be subjected to the tests first or which player's samples would be taken first," Modi said.
Interestingly, the Pakistani sensation had been banned after testing positive for performance enhancing drug nandrolone during the Champions Trophy in 2006.
Another IPL participant, retired Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne, who is the captain-cum-coach of the Rajasthan Royals, was banned for one year from international cricket after testing positive for banned diuretics during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
The ICC rules on doping adhere to the WADA code which lists a two-year ban for a first-time offender and a life-ban for any dope violation the next time.
(With inputs from PTI)
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