Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) president Rakesh Tiwary on Tuesday clarified about the “two teams” mystery during the Ranji match, saying it was nothing but a conspiracy from “some people” who wanted to tarnish the image of state cricket.
2 Bihar teams turn up for match vs Mumbai
On January 5, the first match of the Ranji Trophy season 2023-24 between last season's Plate Group winners Bihar and Mumbai saw plenty of drama even before its start at the Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium in Patna.
Two teams from Bihar appeared at the gates of the stadium with team sheets in hand. One team was approved by the BCA chief and another by someone claiming to be BCA’s secretary. However, after the police intervention, Tiwary’s side took the field.
BCA chief breaks silence on controversy
Speaking exclusively to IANS, BCA chief said, “There was nothing like two teams, there were some people who liked to create a nuisance and their only aim was to bring their children into the team. But we cannot compromise on merit and when those people didn't get a chance to exploit their power, they brought another team to create unrest in the Bihar Cricket Association. They wanted to tarnish the image of Bihar Cricket.”
Further elaborating about BCA, he said, “Bihar Cricket Association got recognised in 2018 after Supreme Court decision and BCCI started assisting financially. After the separation of Bihar and Jharkhand, Bihar Cricket Association became Jharkhand Cricket Association and the State of Bihar was left with no association.”
“In Bihar, people then started creating three or four associations and started fighting with each other to get recognition. Following the formation of the Bihar Cricket Association, they started fighting for recognition. Then I became the chairman, took everything in my hands and vowed to take Bihar Cricket to greater heights.”
Improving condition of BCA
Tiwary then said, “When I became the chairman there was not even an office of the Bihar Cricket Association, today there is an office, and everyone works very hard here. Each wing has a GM and Lokpal and the anti-corruption wing is also there.”
“The biggest win for us is that now players from Bihar are being selected in the IPL. This time one player has been selected and he comes from a very humble background. Vaibhav Suryavanshi the young cricketer is also from our state (Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi has made his Ranji Trophy debut against Mumbai at the age of 13).”
Lack of proper cricket stadiums in Bihar
Asked about the stadium problem which also got highlighted during the Ranji match, he said, “We are looking for areas and spaces where we can build a world-class stadium. Meanwhile, we have taken Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna on rent from the State Government and we conduct matches there only for now. Moin-ul-Haq Stadium is also under talks to be renovated and is under the tender process.”
