The discussion around the Indian cricketer’s doping case has sparked a debate among sports fans and the fraternity. Uttarakhand left-arm pacer Rajan Kumar has failed a dope test and was handed a provisional suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The doping cases involving Indian cricketers are rare compared to the players of other sports. None of the current Indian players have failed a dope test in cricket in their pursuit of altering their body composition and on-field performances. The last high-profile case was of Prithvi Shaw in 2019, who tested positive for Terbutaline and was banned for eight months. Let’s take a detailed look at how former RCB pacer Rajan Kumar was found to violate policies set by the NADA.
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Who is Rajan Kumar?
Rajan Kumar made his T20 debut for Uttarakhand in November 2022 against Railways, and returned with terrific figures of 2/8 off four overs. The left-arm forayed into the List-A format in the subsequent month against Odisha, again impressing with figures of 3/24. Rajan was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for INR 70 Lakh during the IPL 2023 auction. Although he was part of the squad until 2014, he didn’t feature in any of the games.
Rajan Kumar zooms into the camp with 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙 ⚡
Welcome back to Namma Ooru, Rajan 🙌#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2024 #Homecoming pic.twitter.com/CrcMIn2R1H
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 11, 2024
The 29-year-old also made his first-class debut during the 2023-24 edition of the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh, picking a total of two wickets. He picked up two wickets in as many appearances during the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The former RCB pacer returned with 13 wickets in seven games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 season, with the best figures of 4/37 coming against Rajasthan. His last competitive appearance was a SMAT game against Delhi on December 8 in Ahmedabad.
According to PTI, Rajan Kumar’s samples contained anabolic steroids, Drostanolone and Metenolone, which are used for muscle growth and performance enhancement. Moreover, it also had the presence of clomifene, which is used to treat infertility in women and is also misused by male athletes to increase their testosterone levels. Before failing the dope test in cricket, Rajan played 39 games and secured 56 wickets across all formats. It remains to be seen whether he requests the testing of his B samples or challenges the findings.
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Is Rajan Kumar’s Failed Dope Test a Sign to Keep Extra Scrutiny in Domestic Cricket?
The former RCB pacer, Rajan Kumar, had gradually picked up pace after his stellar performance in the 2025 edition of SMAT. However, he has entered the rare list of Indian players to have failed a dope test in cricket. This is because there hasn’t been much news of the Indian cricketer’s doping case in recent years. Rajan Kumar’s dope test confirmed that he has consumed anabolic steroids, which is very rare. It is generally used to improve on-field performances and physical appearance, which is a clear prohibition as per NADA. For example, Prithvi Shaw admitted to having violated the doping policy, but explained to BCCI that he was prescribed a cough syrup by the doctor, which contained a prohibited drug. He expressed regret for an unintended mistake on his part.
On the other hand, substance abuse is not new to American sports, such as football, athletics, cycling, weightlifting, or boxing, where the players have been frequently suspended. The majority of sports demand excessive endurance, forcing players to resort to drug usage to match the expectations and compete strongly against their opposition. The anti-doping violations have been highly prevalent in combat sports, where the boxers consume drugs to stay competitive for longer durations. In the absence of enough fuel in the body, the professional boxers can’t go on until 12 rounds of fierce battle. For example, boxer Ryan Garcia was banned by the WBC in 2024, while former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor accepted an 18-month ban for missing drug tests last year. Among footballers, top stars like Paul Pogba, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal were sanctioned for anti-doping breaches in 2024-25.
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Surprisingly, India topped the WADA Doping report in 2023 for anti-doping rule violations. There were a total of 223 cases, with the most coming from players belonging to Athletics, Weightlifting, and Powerlifting. India also topped the list in 2025, which saw 260 positive cases, with Athletics (76) being the most affected. The news of the Indian cricketer’s doping case was non-existent before Rajan Kumar’s news. Abhishek Gupta faced an eight-month ban in 2020, while Pradeep Sangwan and Ankit Chavan faced a doping ban in 2013. Irrespective of the absence of top-flight players among drug abusers, the BCCI needs to have a strict check on whether the players are clean in this aspect. It will ensure equal competition, and the players will use their natural skills to perform well for the country/franchise.
