Ex-RCB Player Fails Dope Test Ahead of IPL 2026

In a shocking incident in Indian cricket, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player Rajan Kumar has consumed an illegal substance. The left-arm pacer from Uttarakhand has failed to pass the dope test.

Cricket is a sport where cases of doping are very few. However, a few players from India, as well as overseas, have come under the radar and have faced the consequences for consuming substances that are banned for athletes.

Cricketers To Fail a Doping Test

In Indian cricket, there have been only three cases of cricketers failing a doping test. Madhya Pradesh woman cricketer Anshula Rao was the first one to face the ban for doping after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came under the National Anti-Doping Agency in 2019.

She was banned for four years, and not only she, but also one of the best cricket openers in the world, Prithvi Shaw, was among the cricketers to fail a doping test. He consumed a cough syrup, which had a prohibited substance, in February 2019 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali.

He was suspended for eight months,s and now Uttarakhand’s left-arm seamer Rajan Kumar is the latest to join the bandwagon. He has now become the third Indian cricketer to fail a doping test.

Rajan Kumar Dope Test Details

Uttarakhand’s Rajan Kumar tested positive for three banned substances. Following this, he was handed a suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency, reported PTI on Monday, January 5 and became the hot topic in cricket.

Rajan Kumar’s dope sample contained anabolic steroids Drostanolone and Metenolone. Not only this, there were substances of Clomifene, which is generally used as a medication to treat infertility in women and also has the ability to restore testosterone levels among men.

This came as a shock, as Rajan Kumar recently featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His last match for Uttarakhand was against Ahmedabad on December 8, 2025. Following that, he has been out of action with controversy surrounding him.

Rajan Kumar is yet to make an official statement, and there is also no clarity on how much time he has been banned. The official statement in this regard is expected to come out soon, which will clear most of the things. Rajan Kumar RCB connection has resurfaced in the news as discussions gets intensed ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

Doping in Indian sports has become a common thing, and the Sports Ministry has handled this well. They have asked the authorities to aggressively tackle the issue.

"SAI and NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) have been told to carry out aggressive awareness campaigns, and if there are violators even after that, they have to be dealt with strict action," the source had said.