3 min readMar 30, 2026 09:30 AM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders’ inexperienced bowling attack came under the scanner at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night after they failed to defend a 220-run total against the Mumbai Indians.
While the stacked MI batting group put on their highest-ever IPL chase, Ajinkya Rahane’s men were rendered a bowler short after their record Rs 25.20 crore signing, Cameron Green, was barred from bowling for a certain number of games by his home board, Cricket Australia (CA).
Former India batter Ambati Rayudu slammed CA over the restrictions, questioning the logic behind the decision.
Green, who became the most expensive overseas player to be signed at any IPL auction, batted at No 3 against MI, scoring 18 off 10 balls. He was an active presence on the field during the chase, but wasn’t brought on to bowl his medium pacers on a pitch where MI’s seamers were able to pull things back in the first half.
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‘Mom never liked me wearing a helmet’
“Can he play a cover drive or not? Maybe he might just injure his elbow. Maybe he should just flick the ball,” said Rayudu on ESPNcricinfo.
“It is absolutely absurd. When somebody is coming to compete in a tournament and you tell him, ‘you can do this and you can’t do that’, absolute nonsense. It can’t happen in a professional setting. I think it should be upto the player. If he is competing as a professional, he should be able to do whatever he is capable of doing. The player is the best judge.”
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“My mom always wanted me to wear a helmet, but I never liked it. Does not mean that my mom signs a contract and sends me out saying that, ‘he can’t play, my son might get injured’,” a miffed Rayudu remarked.
Rayudu’s sentiment was backed by former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who asked if teams in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) would have played overseas stars with similar restrictions.
“Okay, his board has said that he can’t bowl for a particular number of games. I just want to know if some all-rounder goes to Big Bash and if you write that note that he can’t bat or he can’t run, will they be featured in the playing XI? I don’t think so. Why is it here like this? As simple as that.”
Post their six-wicket defeat, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked about Green’s unavailability to bowl, to which the Mumbaikar redirected the question towards the Australia board.
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“That question you need to ask Cricket Australia,” said Rahane. “Hopefully Green starts to bowl soon, and the combination will be slightly different.”
