Six North East States Seek Representation in Ranji Trophy

Six North East States Seek Representation in Ranji Trophy

The North East State Cricket Association of India plans to appeal to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) for representation of six states in the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy domestic tournament. Naba Bhattacharya, convenor of the association, informed that representatives of six state associations will meeet the CoA on September 8 to discuss this grievance.

Two of the north east states - Tripura and Assam - have been long standing voting members at the BCCI and participants in the Ranji Trophy. However, the six other states, including Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim now seek a combined team to play in the first classs competition. The development comes in the wake of a primary Lodha committee recommendation, "one-state-one-vote", which has granted these states full membership with the board along with voting rights.

"We were really surprised to find that BCCI has chalked up the Ranji schedule and North Eastern States have once again been ignored despite Lodha Committee's 'one-state one-vote' diktat. We are not saying that we want to play as individual States. But there should be a start somewhere," Bhattacharya told PTI on Friday (September 1).

"The North East cricket association representatives will be meeting the COA and we will propose that a combined team be fielded this year. We have good enough players in each State to have a pool of 20 players from which we can select the north east team. Also in the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16) and Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19), we have been playing as combined team. We want to now play as individual States," he added.

BCCI only recently announced a four-group structure for the 28-team tournament to be played from October 6. To add teams to this structure will naturally create logistical issues. However, with BCCI making 11th hour changes by reinstating the Duleep Trophy earlier this week, the petitioners may have a slimmer of hope that their requests could get heeded.

"There is still a month left. If they can have 28 teams, why can't they include us and Bihar and make it a 30-team affair and make changes accordingly."

Bhattacharya, who was also part of the seven-member special committee formed by the BCCI to study a gamut of difficulties faced in implementation of Lodha Reforms, said: "You know Shillong hosted a first-class match way back in 1948 before a lot of full members of BCCI came into existence.

"Also we have got facilities in Dimapur (Arunachal Pradesh). If it's a question of playing home matches, we have A grade centres with other corresponding facilities," Bhattacharya signed off.