'Their only aim was to bring their children into team' - Bihar Cricket Association President clears air on two teams row in Ranji Trophy

Rakesh Tiwary, Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) President, spoke about the “two teams” controversy during the Ranji Trophy opener between Mumbai and Bihar, stating it was a hassle created by some people. 

The match between Bihar and Mumbai at the Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium in Patna witnessed a lot of drama as there were two teams from Bihar. One of the team was authorized by the BCA chief while the other was from someone claiming to be BCA’s secretary. However, Tiwary spoke about the incident after police intervened. 

“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," BCA chief was quoted as saying by Times Now.

“Bihar Cricket Association got recognised in 2018 after a 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. 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," he added.

He further expressed his happiness after Bihar players were selected to play in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), stating it was their biggest win. 

“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)," Tiwary further said.