KKR bowler handed 90-day ban from bowling in Australia; can he bowl in IPL 2020?

Sydney: An Australian player who was recently picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 players auction, was on Wednesday (January 8) banned from bowling due to an illegal bowling action.

Chris Green, the 26-year-old off-spinner, who plays for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL) Twenty tournament in Australia, has been suspended from bowling for 90 days.

Also read: KKR squad for IPL 2020 with players' salaries

In December 2019, Green was bought by KKR for Rs 20 lakh. On Sunday (January 5), the spinner underwent testing in Brisbane and his bowling action was found to be illegal.

“We’d like to commend Chris and the Thunder for the way they have approached this process with complete cooperation and respect,” Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket Operations, said in a statement.

“Chris undertook testing at the earliest possible time and satisfactorily replicated his bowling action in the controlled environment. We look forward to working with Chris in the coming months and conducting further testing once the suspension period has elapsed.”

"He will not be permitted to bowl for 90 days in Cricket Australia-sanctioned competitions, effectively immediately. However, Green remains eligible for selection as a batsman by Sydney Thunder. Despite his suspension Green can play – and bowl – in premier cricket with the consent of Cricket NSW," Sydney Thunder said.

Thunder's coach Shane Bond said, “Chris is a crowd favourite, and he’s also an extremely popular member of our club. Sydney Thunder signed Chris to a long-term deal with the club because of his leadership qualities and obvious talent. He’s an important part of our future and the club will support him through this process.”

This year will be the first that Green will be featuring in IPL. Though the ban has been imposed by Australia, he could still get to play in IPL. The suspension is only for Cricket Australia conducted tournament and does not include IPL.