Media365
The long shadow of a decade-old case involving former India fast bowler S Sreesanth has once again reached the Supreme Court, pulling the Rajasthan Royals into the spotlight. Back in 2012, Sreesanth was ruled out of the IPL season after suffering a knee injury during a practice match in Jaipur. The Royals, who had insured their players under a special contingency policy worth over Rs 8.7 crore, filed a claim of around Rs 82 lakh, arguing that the injury left him unfit to participate that year. The insurance company, however, saw things differently. United India Insurance rejected the claim, insisting that Sreesanth was already carrying a toe injury from 2011, which had not been disclosed when the policy was taken. According to them, this prior injury could have affected his availability, making the Royals’ claim invalid. The matter went before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, which sided with the franchise and ordered the insurer to pay. But the company has since appealed to the Supreme Court, where the case is now being revisited. In court, the Royals maintained that the toe injury never stopped Sreesanth from playing and that the only reason he missed the season was the fresh knee injury suffered during the insured period. Their counsel even pointed out that fitness certificates were submitted at the time of insurance, with the next one arriving after the knee injury. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta questioned whether the toe injury had been formally disclosed. They also noted that if the insurer had known of the injury, they could have refused coverage or charged a higher premium. For now, the matter remains unresolved. The Supreme Court has asked the insurance firm to produce additional documents, including Sreesanth’s fitness certificates and the original application for the policy. Until then, the decade-old dispute between a cricket franchise and its insurer continues to linger, with the Royals still waiting on an answer to their claim.
