Shubman Gill, Jasprit among cricketers part of anti-doping agency’s testing pool for 2025: Reports

The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has added some high-profile names like Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah to their testing pool for 2025. The Registered Testing Pool (RTP) comprises 14 cricketers across both the men's and women's teams, along with athletes from other disciplines.

The decision to broaden the RTP with some star attractions in the form of centrally contracted cricketers is a dedicated effort by the NADA to enhance their vision. According to a report by the Times of India, the names part of the RTP are - Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson and Tilak Verma.

Three women's team players, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma, also find a place on the updated RTP.

The move is deemed to be enforced effective immediately, with NADA's Dope Control Officers (DCO) set to collect samples from select players during the upcoming white-ball series against England. The DCOs will reportedly visit multiple venues throughout the series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also been informed of the latest developments.

First-ever RTP for doping included Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma

The NADA had created the RTP concept in 2019 and had named five cricketers in the list, including members from both the men's and women's teams. All five players had failed to give their whereabouts for testing the following year but were let off with a warning.

The BCCI had maintained that there was a technical glitch on the website, which prevented the players from informing the DCOs of their whereabouts. The governing body had also cited the lockdown induced by COVID-19 as a reason for the delay in getting the issue fixed.

Prithvi Shaw had infamously failed a doping test in 2020 after his test was positive for a banned substance (Terbutaline). While the player maintained that he consumed the substance 'inadvertently', he incurred a suspension for the violation.

Other notable players like Yusuf Pathan, Pradeep Sangwan, and Anshula Rao have also faced suspension by the BCCI for failing their doping tests.