NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to allow the state team of Bihar to compete in India’s premier domestic competition, Ranji Trophy, and other domestic tournaments from next season onwards.
The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), an associate member of the Indian cricket board, will be allowed to field teams, a Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud ruled, while stating that “the order has been passed keeping in view the cause of the cricket”.
The order came after Aditya Verma of the rival Cricket Association of Bihar told the court that ever since the formation of Jharkhand on November 15, 2000, following the bifurcation of the state, Bihar did not get any opportunity to participate in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy or any other domestic tournaments.
PTI reports that senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, appearing for the BCCI, told the court that Bihar Cricket Association enjoyed the status of associate member and would participate in domestic tournaments in 2018.
“As an interim measure, the Bihar Cricket Association shall be eligible to participate in Ranji Trophy and similar such competitions and the BCA, which has been elected by virtue of the order of this court, shall be in-charge of the same,” the Bench ruled.
The court said “this order has been passed keeping in view the cause of cricket,” and added that it would not create any equity in favour of the Bihar Cricket Association.
“You all are individually selfish people,” the Bench observed during the hearing and said that its order would also not affect the present status of Bihar as an associate member of the BCCI.
Besides BCA and CAB, there is also the Association of Bihar Cricket (ABC), with all three laying claim to be the real representative of the state cricket body.
“We are an associate member of the BCCI but following the bifurcation of Bihar cricket we hadn’t been playing in the Ranji Trophy. After the court order today, I hope that we will be part of the Ranji Trophy again,” BCA secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad Singh told Indian Express.
He denied that the BCA would have to start from scratch. “Our boys are performing well in different age-group tournaments. For the Ranji Trophy, we will have to rebuild, but the foundation is there. We have players, infrastructure everything,” Singh said.
Bihar has five first-class cricket grounds in Patna, Bhagalpur and Darbhanga. The Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna serves as the BCA’s home venue, Express reports.
CK Khanna, the acting president of the BCCI, told the daily: “We will honour the court order.”
As for Verma, the man whose representations before the apex court had been around securing recognition for the CAB as the official body running cricket in Bihar, he told Express: “All I wanted was the Ranji Trophy status for my state and our players. That was my only intention. Now the goal is achieved, I’m a happy man. I’m not greedy for power. And the Cricket Association of Bihar is also a part of the Bihar Cricket Association after bifurcation. But this is irrelevant now.
“This is a moment to rejoice, because we will be playing the Ranji Trophy again. It doesn’t matter who runs the show. I never fought for the Cricket Association of Bihar’s full membership. I fought for Bihar.”
