India discard and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Yusuf Pathan has become the second only Indian cricketer to fail a dope test after Delhi's Pradeep Sangwan in 2013.
Yusuf returned a positive test after taking a medicine for illness during a domestic tournament last season, according to The Indian Express.
The 35-year-old, who featured in India's World T20 winning-squad in 2007, took the medicine prescribed by his team doctor without knowing the presence of the banned substance, as per a source close to the development.
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Yusuf also failed to apply for "Therapeutic Use Exemption", which will give athletes permission to treat illness with medicine that might have substance from the Prohibited List.
"There was a substance which was in the medicine which falls under the banned list. He took that particular medicine on the advice of the team doctor. He was not aware that the medicine he took had something which was banned," the source said, as quoted by the report.
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Notably, Yusuf played only two games for Baroda in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy season, with his last first-class outing coming in October 2017. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reportedly had asked the state association not to consider him for selection after the results of the dope test were out.
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Pathan even went on to play Indian Premier League (IPL) last season as the results of the test were released only after the 10th edition of the cash-rich league.
However, it remains to be seen if the big-hitting all-rounder, who has been an integral part of two-time champions KKR, will be allowed to feature in the much-anticipated 11th edition of IPL
While the BCCI is yet to respond with an official statement, Sangwan, the first cricketer to fail dope test, was banned for 18 months in 2013.
Yusuf has not been retained by KKR and with the auction scheduled for January 27 and 28, the all-rounder chances of featuring in the cash-rich league might take a hit if the governing body decides to take action.
