Mumbai: In a big blow to his career, Mumbai batter Armaan Jaffer has been left in the lurch after the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) cancelled his contract to play for them as a ‘Professional’ player for the 2025-26 domestic season due to his alleged refusal to play in their pre-season (both One-day and Multi-day) inter-state tournaments. In fact, CAP has signed up Haryana’s off-spinning allrounder Jayant Yadav as Jaffer’s replacement. The 35-year-old Yadav has played six Tests and two ODIs for India. The 26-year-old Armaan had in May sought a NOC from the Mumbai Cricket Association in order to play for Pondicherry in the 2025-26 domestic season. Jaffer is currently playing for the Whiston Cricket Club in the Yorkshire Champions League. Armaan, who last played for Mumbai in Jan 23, has featured in 15 first-class matches, in which he scored 769 runs with three hundreds and a fifty. He has also scored 546 runs in 15 List A matches @42.00, with one hundred and two fifties, and one T20, in which he scored 27 runs. In an email to Jaffer a few days back informing him of the cancellation of his contract with Pondicherry for the upcoming season, Thalaivan, a Pondicherry selector, wrote, “Arman, We had informed you and your father on several occasions that it was important for you to participate in both the one-day and multi-day inter-state tournaments in Pondicherry. “When senior cricketers from across other state teams have made themselves available, it is surprising that you have chosen to give priority to club cricket in the UK over these crucial inter-state pre-season preparatory matches. As already conveyed, we selectors have therefore decided to move forward with an alternate player. Accordingly, our offer to engage you as one of the guest players stands withdrawn.” A source CAP, told TOI, “Armaan was asked to report before the Inter-State One-Day Tournament which was hosted by Pondicherry from Aug 10. However, he chose to play for a club in England instead. A few of our other players also play club cricket in England, but they’ve all returned to play in our pre-season tournaments. All of our selectors are very disappointed with Armaan for his refusal to play in our pre-season tournaments. He has taken Pondicherry cricket very lightly. He doesn’t have a great record in the Ranji Trophy, but we placed our faith in his abilities since he’s a Mumbai cricketer. We have signed up Jayant Yadav for the upcoming season instead, and Yadav has immediately agreed to play in our ongoing Senior Men’s Multi-day Tournament for the Siechem Trophy 2025.” Defending Armaan’s case, Armaan’s father Kailm Jaffer, who too is currently in England for a coaching job, told TOI from Leeds, “The CAP officials wrote to me on July 22, saying that they wanted Armaan to play in Pondicherry’s pre-season tournaments. Armaan had signed up the contract with the English club in Feb, while he only signed up to play for Pondicherry in May. He could not have ditched his club. I requested to CAP that I had just arrived in England, and we were all looking to stay here for one more month. Armaan is newly-married and his wife is also here. Later, Armaan wrote to CAP requesting for some more time before he could return as his club had reached the knockout round of a tournament after 18 years. As a Professional, he is not obligated to play practice matches for Pondicherry.” Explaining the whole incident further, Kalim then said, “Armaan wrote to the CAP that he would return to India and be available for Pondicherry’s practice matches on Aug 26-28 and then Sept 1-3. He even booked his return ticket to India accordingly. On Aug 22, the CAP asked for his birth certificate. On Aug 24, they cancelled his contract.” It’s a worrisome situation because it leaves Armaan at the risk of being without a team this domestic season. “It is Pondicherry’s loss. Armaan has been tremendous form here. He has scored seven centuries and taken 30 wickets with his off-spin and left-arm spin for his club here. We are in talks with three-four domestic teams. Hopefully, something will work out,” Jaffer said. Mumbai spinner Sagar Udeshi set be Pondicherry’s captain, coach & mentor in Ranji TrophyMeanwhile, in another interesting development, Pondicherry are set to appoint 38-year-old left-arm spinner Sagar Udeshi, who hails from Mumbai, as their senior team’s captain, coach & mentor, all rolled into one, for the 2025-26 domestic season! “We’ve had to take this decision due to budgetary constraints. Udeshi will be our captain-coach-mentor in the Ranji Trophy, but he may not play the white-ball tournaments, where he will take up the role of the coach and mentor of the team,” a CAP source told this paper. Udeshi, who plays for the Parsee Gymkhana in Mumbai’s local cricket, has taken 228 wickets in 41 first-class matches@18.89, with 20 five-wicket hauls and an innings best of eight for 118 and match best of 13 for 152. The veteran tweaker has also taken 57 wickets in 40 List A (One-Day) matches@24.71, and 19 wickets in 27 T20s@32.84.
