Robin Uthappa set to play for Kerala in upcoming Ranji season as Karnataka issues him NOC

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, June 20: Robin Uthappa is all set to play for Kerala in the upcoming domestic season as he obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

The 31-year-old senior India discard will now represent Kerala thus bringing his association with the Karnataka state team under which he made his first class debut.

The aggressive right-handed batsman's association with KSCA dates back to 2002, when he made his first-class debut for the side as a 17-year-old.

As per reports, the KSCA made several repeated attempts to persuade Uthappa to stay but the flamboyant batsman seems to have made up his mind. He was very little used by Karnataka in the previous Ranji Trophy season (2016-17).

Uthappa played just six matches for Karnataka in the previous season and this could be a reason for the Kolkata Knight Riders batsman to snap ties with the KSCA and seek for new pastures.

Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary Sudhakar Rao confirmed to OneIndia that Robin asked for NOC and he was given last week.

With 1158 first-class runs at an average of 50.34, including three hundreds and six fifties, Uthappa played a significant role in the 2014/15 Ranji season as he helped Karnataka retain the Ranji Trophy title.

Uthappa was part of India's T20 World Cup 2007 winning team and played a crucial role as well.

But with the rise of young players like Karun Nair and KL Rahul Uthappa's prominence in the team has been on the wane.

Kerala have roped in 1996-World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore to help the team climb up the ladders of success in the domestic season.

OneIndia News