Child Labour Accusations Against Rajasthan Royals

A new controversy has emerged involving Rajasthan Royals and their young star player, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. A Karnataka-based activist, CM Shivakumar Nayak, has accused the IPL team of exploiting the 15-year-old cricketer and threatened legal action against them.

During a TV debate, Nayak called out the franchise for using a child labourer, claiming it’s unfair to involve such a young player in the professional IPL league. He argued that Vaibhav should be focusing on school instead of playing cricket at his age.

Vaibhav recently turned 15, making him eligible under ICC rules for international cricket. However, he was just 14 when he played in the U-19 World Cup. The ICC allows exceptions for exceptional cases, which permitted Vaibhav to participate despite being underage.

According to BCCI guidelines, a player must have at least one first-class match experience to play in IPL. Vaibhav met this criterion after debuting for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy at 12 years old. Despite this, his inclusion in IPL has sparked debate over his age and treatment by the franchise.