Kolkata, September 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Friday reiterated its commitment to stringent age-verification procedures for registered players after leg-spinner Rohit Yadav was handed a two-year ban over discrepancies in his age records.
Yadav was withdrawn from India’s Under-19 squad for the upcoming red-ball and white-ball series against Australia in Rajkot and Ahmedabad after an internal audit of his documents flagged inconsistencies in his age records.
In a statement, the CAB said its routine verification process had identified discrepancies in Yadav’s documents and that the matter was reported to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) within the prescribed timeframe.
“The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), during its routine verification process, identified certain discrepancies/inconsistencies in the documents of the player Rohit Yadav,” the association said.
It added that following examination of the matter, the BCCI removed Yadav from the India Under-19 squad for the Australia series and subsequently conducted further verification of his age and supporting documents in consultation with the CAB.
The board has since replaced Yadav with another eligible player, although the identity of the replacement was not disclosed.
“CAB remains committed to ensuring proper verification and adherence to the prescribed regulations governing age-group cricket,” the association said.
Yadav had represented India Under-19 on the tour of Sri Lanka in July and took six wickets in a Youth Test. However, subsequent document checks by the CAB reportedly uncovered significant inconsistencies in his birth records.
The investigation found multiple records showing different years of birth, including 2006, 2007 and 2009, alongside changes reflected in his Aadhaar records between 2014 and 2021. The discrepancies are understood to amount to 27 months in the official age record.
CAB secretary Naresh Koley said the association was following the BCCI’s requirement for digital birth certificates and scrutiny of players’ document-update histories in age-group cricket.
“For underage tournaments, the BCCI has made it mandatory to look into other update history, and they want digital birth certificates. So that is their policy, and according to that, we were also going through these other update checks and digital birth requirements for underage players,” Koley told IANS.
He said the verification exercise had uncovered discrepancies involving several players and that the appropriate decision in Yadav’s case rested with the BCCI because he was part of the India Under-19 squad.
Koley also stressed that the CAB would maintain a firm position against falsification or manipulation of records in junior cricket.
“The national board is going to have a zero-tolerance policy as far as age discrepancies are concerned,” he said.
The CAB has reportedly barred 65 players from registration or transfers across the 2026-27 and 2027-28 domestic seasons because of age discrepancies and documentation irregularities.
Among those sanctioned is former India Under-19 World Cup winner Ravi Kumar, the left-arm pacer who played a key role in India’s title-winning campaign in the 2022 Men’s Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean. He produced a notable spell of 4-34 in the final against England as India secured their fifth title.
According to official CAB records, Kumar has a 45-month age discrepancy. As a result, his age-group participation records from the 2021-22 season through the 2025-26 campaign across junior and senior levels are set to be treated as invalid.
Bengal left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Vishal Bhatti, who has made three first-class and two List A appearances, has also been flagged over similar documentation-related allegations.
The developments underline the growing emphasis on strict age verification in junior cricket, with governing bodies seeking to ensure that players competing in age-group tournaments meet eligibility requirements.
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