Basketball
Despite bans, Amjyot and Arshpreet turn out for Punjab in Basketball Nationals
In an outrageously ridiculous turn of events, basketball players Amjyot Singh Gill and Arshpreet Bhullar, who have been banned by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), represented their State in the National Championships, post the pronouncement of their ban.
The duo played a critical role in towing the host state towards a National Championships victory after 25 years at their home. Taking credit for creating their own laughing stock, the Punjab Basketball Association (PBA) and the BFI under pressure from the State of Punjab, delayed the release of this order to the players ensuring Gill and Bhullar could play for Punjab.
Both players, Amjyot and Arshpreet got into a roadside brawl in Bengaluru on November 6, 2019. Upon being notified about this incident, the BFI took immediate action and handed a three-year and a one-year ban respectively to the players on December 26.
Despite this, the players were allowed to compete in the National Championships and turn up for the Finals being held in Punjab. Undoubtedly, Bhullar and Gill played a critical role in guiding Punjab to victory after 25 years at home. The copy of the order was conveniently released after the Championships was over and the victory was won. The players received the ban statement on December 29, 2019, and were not intimated about it earlier.
According to TOI sources, the order was signed by BFI Secretary Chander Mukhi Sharma and stated "a ban on both Amjyot and Arshpreet from December 26" despite which the players participated in the finals of the National Championships on December 28.
The Secretary, as well as the committee members, remained witness to the banned players competing at the event and did not raise a word. In fact, Sharma relayed to the TOI, "Within 24 hours of the disciplinary committee recommendations, I issued the order but we were handling administrative issues too and that's why they both were allowed by the Technical Commission to participate," he defensively explained.