Rajasthan Royals (RR) are facing legal trouble after an insurance company challenged a ruling in their favour before the Supreme Court. According to a Times of India report, during IPL 2012, former RR pacer S. Sreesanth was sidelined for the entire season after picking up a knee injury in a practice match at Jaipur.
The franchise had insured its players under a special contingency policy valued at over ₹8.7 crore and subsequently filed a claim of about ₹82 lakh, citing Sreesanth’s unavailability for the season. However, the insurance company rejected the claim, arguing that the bowler had been carrying a toe injury since 2011, which RR had not disclosed when securing the policy.
The company further argued that the earlier injury could have contributed to Sreesanth’s absence, making the claim invalid. The dispute first went before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), which ruled in favour of RR and directed the insurer to settle the amount. Challenging this decision, the company has now escalated the matter to the Supreme Court.
Rajasthan Royals Insist Toe Injury Wasn’t The Reason Behind Sreesanth Missing IPL 2012
In court, Rajasthan Royals, the inaugural IPL champions, maintained that Sreesanth’s absence in 2012 was solely due to a knee injury sustained during the insured period, not because of his earlier toe injury. The Supreme Court bench, led by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, questioned whether details of the toe injury had been disclosed at the time of taking the policy.
The judges observed that, had the insurance company been informed, it might have either declined the coverage or charged a higher premium. As per the report, the court directed the insurer to provide additional records, including the original policy application and Sreesanth’s fitness certificates.
Sreesanth eventually made a comeback in IPL 2013, featuring in seven matches for RR, where he picked up five wickets at an economy of 7.52.
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