Royals’ claim and insurer’s rejection
The Rajasthan Royals’ decade-long legal battle with United India Insurance Company over an injury claim for former India pacer S Sreesanth has reached the Supreme Court. The case dates back to IPL 2012, when Sreesanth was ruled out after suffering a knee injury during a practice match in Jaipur.
The franchise, which had taken out a special contingency insurance cover worth over ₹8.7 crore, filed a claim of approximately ₹82.8 lakh to recover player fees for Sreesanth’s missed season.
According to a report in NDTV, the insurer denied the claim, arguing that the bowler had a pre-existing toe injury from 2011 which was not disclosed at the time of the policy. United India contended that this omission invalidated the Royals’ claim, despite an independent surveyor initially ruling that the knee injury was a sudden and unforeseen event covered by the policy.
Royals’ defence in court
Representing the franchise, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul maintained that the old toe issue never kept Sreesanth from playing, and the knee injury suffered during the insured period was the sole reason for his absence.
“The toe injury did not stop him from playing. He was playing! It was during the practice session that he had a knee injury!”
— Neeraj Kishan Kaul for Rajasthan Royals, as quoted by NDTV
Kaul further argued that fitness certificates were provided both when Sreesanth joined the squad and after he sustained the knee injury, underscoring that the franchise had complied with its disclosure obligations.
Supreme Court scrutiny
The case had previously gone before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), which ruled in favour of the Royals and ordered the insurer to pay. United India has now challenged that ruling in the Supreme Court.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta pressed for clarity on whether the toe injury had ever been disclosed in the certificates submitted.
“whether that certificate has disclosure about the toe injury?”
— Justice Sandeep Mehta, as quoted by NDTV
The court orally observed that had the insurer known of the injury, it might have chosen to either refuse coverage or raise the premium. For now, the matter remains unresolved, with the bench asking the insurance firm to produce additional documents — including Sreesanth’s fitness certificates and the original policy application — before a final decision is made.
A lingering dispute
The Royals’ case highlights the complex intersection of professional sports, insurance law, and medical disclosure. More than a decade since Sreesanth’s injury, the outcome of this legal battle will not only decide a long-pending financial claim but could also set an important precedent for how future player insurance disputes in the IPL are handled.
