Forgotten Heroes: The Gujarat-born Rajasthan Royals legend who faced a one-year ban from BCCI, the story of IPL star who never represented India

If an all-time XI of Rajasthan Royals (RR) is created, Siddharth Trivedi’s name will always come up. Trivedi was one of the best finds of RR in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) season when they went on to win the trophy. He wasn’t just a one-season wonder for RR but played in five seasons for the franchise. He still holds the record for most wickets by an Indian for RR in IPL history. 
 

Siddharth’s debut season 

The Gujarat player made his First-Class and List A debut in the early 2000s. He made his debut in RR's first game of the season against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). He bowled three overs and went for 32 runs. However, he managed to turn the season around and picked up 13 wickets from 15 games. He wasn't too expensive either at 8.31 runs per over.
 

In the next season, he got seven chances on South African pitches. His economy rate dropped but managed to take six wickets. In the 2010 edition, he picked up a three-wicket haul for the first time in his IPL career. He bagged 11 wickets from as many games. He went on to play for RR till 2013. His last IPL appearance was against Mumbai Indians (MI). He picked up Rohit Sharma's wicket and conceded 23 runs from his quota of four overs. He was the most economical of the lot too.

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One-year ban despite not being guilty

Trivedi faced a one-year ban by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for failing to report an approach by a bookie. The pacer did not agree with the verdict but accepted it anyway. 
 

He paid the price for being friends with Ajit Chandila who had alleged links with the bookies. Chandila introduced him to bookies as his cousins/relatives. He claimed that it was much before the match-fixing scandal. 

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Return to cricket, no place in IPL

After serving a one-year ban, Trivedi returned to domestic cricket. Already in his 30s, he was not able to make it to the international side. He played first-class cricket till 2015. He has 268 wickets in the red-ball format as well.
 

In 2021, he left India to play for USA. He was looking for an opportunity to play as a player-cum-coach in the American Cricket Academy and Club (ACAC) in St Louis in Minor League Cricket. Earlier, in 2019, he played in Atlanta Premier League as well. 
 

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