Jharkhand Cricket Association has run into an unusual ‘Date of Birth’ controversy

Hours before hosting a Test match for the first time ever, the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has run into a ‘date of birth’ controversy. The Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma has accused the JSCA of writing in the logo the false date of ‘1935’ as foundation year. He brought this to the attention of the court-appointed administrators (CoA) running the BCCI.

The JSCA denies of any wrongdoing because 1935 when the erstwhile Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) was formed. Officials on the other hand say that they do this because JSCA became a BCCI affiliate in 2003, replacing the BCA. India-Australia Test tickets has a logo on it with 1935 written under it.

“When the BCCI gave affiliation to JSCA in 2003 and disaffiliated BCA, the new body became the custodian of the game in the region. It’s like an extension of the old body. That’s why we mention 1935 as the year of foundation of our association,” JSCA secretary Debashish Chakrabarty said on Tuesday.

However, there is one more body recognized by the BCCI, called BCA, as an associate member. This association receives a yearly grant of `50 lakh and plays in the tournament for associate members. BCA also has written 1935 as year of foundation in its website. This creates confusion since the BCCI recognises two associations using the same foundation date of a body which was disaffiliated long ago.

“The JSCA’s geographical area of operation is smaller than it was under the old BCA. So it can’t claim to be an extension of BCA. Using 1935 is an attempt create a false impression that they run the game in the region. In reality, they only cater to the State of Jharkhand. Bihar remains separate,” said Verma.

There are many entities claiming to be the Bihar body, including the represented by Verma.