MUMBAI: With Arunachal Pradesh forfeiting its Ranji Trophy opener against Nagaland and missing participation in two age-group tournaments, the BCCI has moved swiftly to ensure the state’s cricketers do not suffer further more of the administrative logjam.
The board has constituted a three-member selection committee to pick Arunachal Pradesh’s men’s and women’s teams across age groups, paving the way for the state to continue its participation in the domestic season. This is despite a legal battle within Arunachal Cricket Association (ACA).
The move follows Arunachal’s forfeiture of its opening Ranji Trophy fixture in Ahmedabad after the association failed to field a team. The state also missed Vinoo Mankad Trophy and Under-19 Women’s T20 Trophy as rival ACA factions remain embroiled in litigation before Itanagar Bench of Guwahati High Court.
Thanks to BCCI’s intervention, however, Arunachal Pradesh is now expected to take the field for its next Ranji Trophy match against Sikkim in Nadiad from Oct 18.
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BCCI apex council member M Khairul Jamal Majumdar has been appointed convener of the arrangement. The selection panel consists of former Assam cricketers Satya Gopal Chakraborty, Jayanta Chowdhury and Deep Bora, with Chakraborty serving as chairman.
The committee has been tasked with conducting trials and selecting teams for Ranji Trophy, Col CK Nayudu Trophy, Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and Vijay Merchant Trophy.
Explaining the board’s decision, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said protecting players’ interests had been the overriding priority.
“We have made our apex council member Khairul Mamun Mazumdar the convener and appointed three selectors who have been conducting the entire process over the last three days. The BCCI wants to ensure that no player is denied opportunities because of circumstances beyond their control. We have a robust domestic structure and every player deserves a chance to showcase his or her talent,” Saikia told TOI on Wednesday.
Drawing parallels with a similar situation in Bihar in the past, Saikia said the board had adopted the same approach by appointing an independent mechanism to keep cricketing activities on track.