Who is Ankit Bawne? Maharashtra stand-in captain suspended for dissent in Ranji Trophy

Ankit Bawne (Pic: X)

Maharashtra batter Ankit Bawne has been handed a one-match suspension for showing dissent during a Ranji Trophy match. The decision was conveyed to the team ahead of their sixth-round Group A clash against Baroda in Nashik, reported ESPNcricinfo.

The incident in question occurred during Maharashtra's fifth-round game against Services, prior to the white-ball season. Bawne, serving as the stand-in captain, refused to leave the field after being declared out despite clear evidence suggesting the ball had bounced before Shubham Rohilla completed the catch at slip off spinner Amit Shukla. With no Decision Review System (DRS) available as the match was livestreamed rather than televised, Bawne was unable to challenge the umpire's decision.

Bawne's protest delayed the game for nearly 15 minutes before play resumed following intervention by match referee Amit Sharma and Maharashtra coach Sulakshan Kulkarni. The situation drew further attention when regular Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was in Australia with India A at the time, shared replays of the controversial dismissal on social media.

"Players are subject to fines and reprimand, what about proper assessment of umpires," Kulkarni said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"Why do the same erring umpires continue to officiate and play spoilsport? When there are blunders of this nature, the anger is justified," he added.

Bawne has been a key performer for Maharashtra this season, amassing 361 runs in five matches at an average of 51.57, including a century and two half-centuries. However, his absence for the Baroda match will be a significant setback for the team.

Maharashtra is currently struggling in Group A, sitting second from the bottom and already out of playoff contention. With a maximum possible tally of 22 points, they trail Baroda and Jammu & Kashmir, both of whom have already accumulated more points in the group.

(With agency inputs)