Quinton de Kock’s Black Lives Matter fallout: Mumbai Indians likely to release him; BBL franchise interested

Quinton de Kock is reportedly being dismissed from the Mumbai Indians’ team, especially following his unwillingness to take the knee on Tuesday. The South African cricketer made it clear that he will not follow Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) new policy, which requires all of the country’s players to take a knee for the duration of the competition. De Kock earns USD 500,000 with the Mumbai Indians, where he has been a crucial player as an opener and wicket keeper since 2019.

The Proteas were the only team that didn’t take a cohesive stance on the subject, with individual players acting as they pleased. While coloured athletes never hesitated to take a knee, some white teammates resorted to making a fist. Even De Kock declined to do so.

Meanwhile, despite his captain Temba Bavuma’s full support, the cricketer is unlikely to play the remaining games. Many believe De Kock may have played his final match for South Africa. A BBL franchise has approached him in the midst of all of this. According to ‘The Daily Telegraph,’ the Mumbai Indians aren’t very fond of him, which means he won’t be retained for the huge auctions next year.

“The emergence of Australian cricket as a lifeline for the 28-year-old has become even more significant,” according to the report, “as sources at the IPL revealed de Kock’s Mumbai Indians franchise took a dim view of him turning his back on the Black Lives Matter protest and were highly unlikely to retain him on his lucrative contract worth in excess of $500,000.”

In this case, BBL stands to benefit greatly from De Kock’s availability. Nick Cummins, CEO of Cricket Victoria, believes that kneeling should not be made mandatory. “We urge our players to consider the issues and voice their opinions as they see fit. We’d be thrilled to have a player of his level join us in the BBL. Cummins was cited as stating, “It would be wonderful for the competition.”