BCA breaks silence over two Bihar Ranji Trophy teams turning up against Mumbai

The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) finally opened up about the incident when former secretary Amit Kumar announced his team for the Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai. Two teams turned up to take on Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy opener on Friday at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna. On the opening day, Mumbai were reduced to 235/9 by the Bihar squad, which was declared the official team.

Om Prakash Jaiswal, the district representative of the Bihar Cricket Association, discussed the situation and said that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) had granted permission to play Bihar's original side. Additionally, he stated that Amit, the former secretary, assembled a fake squad.

"BCCI gave permission to play Bihar's original team. This incident happened, it was outside the stadium. A fake team was formed by the previous secretary Amit Kumar. And they tried to create a problem but our security stopped everything. And the original team of Bihar is playing the match with Mumbai," Om Prakash Jaiswal was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Meanwhile, BCA CEO, Manish Raj, spoke about the condition of the stadium used for the opening game of the competition. He continued by saying that BCA has been looking for the property and everyone will be able to witness their own stadium when they find a suitable location.

"The ground of the stadium is up to the mark and that is why elite group matches are being held here. As for its exterior, it is already destroyed. Regarding the ground, I can say that it is a very good ground. Even the match referee appreciated it. BCCI has enabled us to build our own stadium. We are already searching for the land, if the work of the land is being completed then you will get to see BCA's own stadium. With the limited resources we have done what we could," he said. 

"People tried to create a dispute. Now the original team is playing in front of you, Bihar has shown good performance. Taking 9 wickets against a team like Mumbai on day one is a historic moment for Bihar. It's been many years since Bihar has participated in the elite group. And that too against champion Mumbai, who have been winners for many years. It was shocking that someone else was claiming to be the secretary when we already have the original one," he added.

For the unreversed, the association between Amit and the BCA president became weakened in 2022 after his purported involvement with the opposing faction. He was suspended eventually and hasn't been employed by the BCA since.