Saha unwilling to play Ranji Trophy knockouts

Wriddhiman Saha has informed the Cricket Association of Bengal that he is not willing to play the Ranji Trophy knockouts, beginning on June 6.

FILE PHOTO: Wriddhiman Saha had indicated last week that he may no longer play for Bengal.

Wriddhiman Saha has informed the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) that he is not willing to play the Ranji Trophy knockouts, beginning on June 6.

"The Cricket Association of Bengal wanted Wriddhiman Saha to play for Bengal at this crucial juncture especially when Bengal would be fighting in the knockout stage in a bid to win the Ranji Trophy after becoming the top ranked team in the country at the end of the Group Stage," CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said on Thursday.

"I had expressed this to Wriddhiman and had requested him to reconsider his decision. However, Wriddhiman has now communicated to us that he is not willing to play the Ranji Knockouts."

READ | Saha's participation in doubt despite being named in Bengal's Ranji squad

The statement comes a day after Saha reportedly exited the Bengal team's WhatsApp group. Last week, as reported by Sportstar , Saha, who is currently featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Gujarat Titans, had a long conversation with Dalmiya, where he indicated that he may no longer play for Bengal.

He was upset with comments by a senior CAB official, who had raised questions over Saha’s commitment after he decided to skip the group stage of the Ranji Trophy due to personal reasons.

Saha, however, was not available for comments on his future plans.