The defending champion of Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced the replacement of injured South African bowler Lungi Ngidi on Saturday. He is none other than New Zealand’s bowling-allrounder Scott Kuggeleijn. He has played two One Day Internationals and four Twenty20 Internationals for the country.
The answer to every #SuperFan's question in the last couple of days: Scott Kuggeleijn from Hamilton, New Zealand! #LionAlert #KuluKuluKuggeleijn #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 30, 2019
Scott Kuggeleijn is the son of former New Zealand cricketer Chris Kuggeleijn. He was earlier charged with rape and faced two trials in 2016 and 2017. The first time jury was not able to give a verdict while the second time the jury found him not guilty. However, the allegations came from two different persons in March and May 2015. He recently faced people’s anger during their home series against India.
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However, Scott Kuggeleijn said that the woman had told no at least twice to his attempts to get intimate with her and he also apologised to that lady on the next day.
However, there is also controversy over his ‘not guilty’ verdict. As per New Zealand Herald: “The New Zealand justice system determined that it was not possible to ascertain beyond a reasonable doubt that Scott Kuggeleijn held a young woman down and raped her. That’s what a not guilty verdict means. That the jury could not be certain – beyond a reasonable doubt – whether a crime had been committed.”
However, after this incident, Scott has also made his debut for New Zealand and now it is expected to see him in the yellow jersey. But Twitterati were not happy with this decision.
Here are some tweets:
For context on the latest CSK member. Whose rape trial is not even discussed in sports media back home.
Silence about Scott Kuggeleijn reinforces a culture of sexual violencehttps://t.co/ES1P6xA8yx
via @MalhotraSaurabh & @Arey_Yaarhttps://t.co/CVUQMLI6Pc— ZENIA D'CUNHA (@ZENIADCUNHA) March 30, 2019
Interestingly, last year, Steven Smith and David Warner were axed by the IPL for the ball-tampering for which they were already punished by their home board. It was an interesting precedent set. It sits uncomfortably with the Scott Kuggeleijn signing.#IPL2019 #ipl
— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) March 30, 2019
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.@ChennaiIPL have signed this guy
Daddy's army, who have families and play rooms for kids, are now going host this guy. #CSK trying to top their previous controversy. #IPL2019 pic.twitter.com/QZv1cHRnNb
— Akhil Nair (@akhiln) March 30, 2019
Scott Kuggeleijn is a rapist who got away.
Details here.https://t.co/ImhqZC81W4New Zealand Cricket doesn't care.
Chennai Super Kings don't care.
ICC doesn't care.
Nobody cares.
Maybe @jacindaardern will.Pardon me if this comes across as an ageing man's rant. https://t.co/MJa98M4CHF
— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) March 30, 2019
