Arunachal Pradesh has had to forfeit their opening match in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group against Nagaland, which was set to take place this Sunday in Ahmedabad. This decision comes amid ongoing issues within the state cricket association, caused by a conflict between two rival groups and a legal case currently being heard by the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court.
The situation worsened when Arunachal Pradesh was unable to submit their Under-19 team for a Vinoo Mankad Trophy match against Sikkim that was held on Thursday in Bhubaneswar. The dispute within the association has created a lack of operational leadership necessary for making decisions about team selections.
In an election held in September, Nabam Vivek was chosen as the president of the cricket association. However, several district associations later challenged the election in court, citing irregularities in the voting process.
As a result, the High Court has put a hold on the situation, stopping the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from stepping in to set up an independent selection committee, as they had done previously for Bihar.
“The court has issued a stay, so the BCCI cannot take any actions. There’s no one managing the state body right now. We have to wait for the court’s decision before we can proceed,” explained BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in a statement to PTI.
Last season, Arunachal Pradesh faced challenges as they ended up at the bottom of the Plate Group standings, losing all five matches they played.
Alongside Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, other teams in the Plate Group include Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Sikkim.
