Basketball Federation takes U-turn; bans Amjyot, Arshpreet

Just a week after the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) decided to let go of players Amjyot Singh Gill and Arshpreet Bhullar with a strict warning for breaking curfew rules and getting involved in a roadside brawl, the federation took a U-turn and banned the two for 3 years and 1 year respectively.

The decision came after they played for Punjab in the 70th Senior National Basketball Championship last week. In their first game after the scuffle, both Amjyot and Arshpreet were at their best against Karnataka, with the former chipping in with timely assists while Arshpreet was at his scoring best in the 106-66 win over the rivals.

Events leading up to the ban

The two senior players broke the protocol of the national basketball camp this year by venturing out for drinks without prior permission. While returning back, the duo got involved in an accident, which was a result of a drunken fight. Amjyot had alleged that the BFI was threatening him with life threats and that Arshdpreet had beaten him in Bengaluru.

While the BFI was probing the incident, the two were not selected for the South Asian Games that were held in Nepal this month. They were well on course to play for the national team again after they were let off, but the recent ban will come as a huge blow ahead of the Olympic year. The two basketball players will now miss the 3x3 basketball Olympic Qualifiers that will be held in March for the Tokyo Games.

This is not the first time that the two hoopsters have been caught in the middle of a controversy. Amjyot had previously been banned for a year in 2018 for "gross indiscipline" after he slapped Arshpreet during the Commonwealth Games last year in Gold Coast.

"During the Indian team’s visit to Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games, Amjyot slapped (India teammate) Arshpreet Bhullar. When captain Yadwinder Singh tried to step in and calm the situation, Amjyot took on Yadwinder as well. The incident disturbed the mental state of the team, and affected their performance. This is the fifth time that we have had disciplinary issues with Amjyot. In the past, he has had altercations with our national team coaches S. Bhaskar and G.R.L. Prasad as well," BFI Secretary-General Chander Mukhi Sharma had said after banning him in June 2018.