BCCI’s Big Decision! 15-Year Veteran Rajeev Kumar Kicked Out Just Before Asia Cup

The BCCI has made another change to India’s backroom staff just days before the Asia Cup 2025. Team masseur Rajeev Kumar, who had been with the side for nearly 15 years, has not been given a fresh contract.

According to the Indian Express, Rajeev was part of the support staff in England recently, where India drew the Test series 2-2. But the board decided to move on, continuing its effort to refresh the setup from the pre-Gautam Gambhir era.

A BCCI source told the newspaper, “The Indian board has decided to discontinue with Rajeev’s services. The Indian team had already appointed a masseur, which was recommended by team management before.”

Rajeev was known to share a close bond with players, especially fast bowlers. He was often seen celebrating with Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, even appearing in Shami’s social media posts.

This is not the first such exit. Earlier, the BCCI did not renew the contracts of assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai. Team masseur Arun Kanade was also let go. Fielding coach T Dilip too was asked to leave but was later brought back.

A member of the Indian think tank told PTI that keeping support staff in the system for too long often leads to “diminishing returns,” hinting at the board’s decision to rotate staff more often.

Meanwhile, Sitanshu Kotak has been appointed as India’s batting coach after Abhishek Nayar’s exit. Gambhir has brought in his own team, including Nayar initially, Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coach, and Morne Morkel as bowling coach. Ten Doeschate and Morkel remain part of the current setup.

With the Asia Cup starting on September 9 in the UAE, the shake-up reflects the BCCI’s push for a fresh support staff under Gambhir’s leadership, signaling the end of an era for long-serving members like Rajeev Kumar.