BCCI acting president CK Khanna has made his position clear in the ongoing Hardik Pandya-KL Rahul suspension drama by suggesting that the two players need to return to the Indian team as soon as possible and be made available for the limited overs tour of New Zealand that begins this week.

Pandya and Rahul have been suspended pending inquiry into their infamous appearance on talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’ and have already missed the three-match ODI series in Australia. However, the squabbling between sections of the BCCI and the court-appointed administrators has meant that even the formal process of hearing and deciding punishments hasn’t been initiated.

The Supreme Court of India will appoint an ombudsman for the case next week, which means more time wasted for Pandya and Rahul.

Khanna, in a letter written to the administrators and BCCI office-bearers which was accessed by the Press Trust of India, said: “I suggest that pending inquiry, we reinstate both the cricketers in the Indian squad immediately and allow them to join the team in New Zealand at the earliest,” Khanna wrote.

“They made a mistake, and they have already been suspended and called back from the series against Australia. They have also submitted an unconditional apology. We must not keep their careers in a limbo,” Khanna added.