The start of the Bihar-Mumbai 2023-24 Ranji Trophy clash at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna was delayed on January 5 (Friday) after two Bihar squads had been named for the season.

What was the controversy?

The Bihar Cricket Association found itself embroiled in controversy after two teams, each claiming to represent the state, were named for their Ranji Trophy clash against Mumbai. The first team or Bihar’s “official” team on paper was picked by BCA president Rakesh Tiwary, with the squad comprising 12-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Sakib Hussain, who has been picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 IPL auction.

The other team was picked by former secretary Amit Kumar, who had been suspended by the president in 2022.

Tiwary’s team eventually played the match against Mumbai, reducing the side to 235-9 after day one. Both sides had completely different players enlisted in their respective squads.

Ahead of the match start, Amit allegedly attacked an official outside the venue, which led to a delay in the start of the game. Police officials also stopped Amit’s team from entering the venue. According to a statement by the BCA, “There was a life-threatening attack on BCA’s OSD Manoj Kumar by those involved in the fake team. The miscreants have been identified, and action will be taken against them.”

Tiwary later told the Indian Express that the side that was picked by him was the official team. “We have picked the team on merit and that is the right team. You see the talent that is coming from Bihar. We have a cricketer (Sakib Hussain), who is picked in the IPL. We have a 12-year-old prodigy making his debut in the game. The other is being picked by the secretary who is suspended, so it can’t be the real team.”

It was countered by Amit: “First things first: I won the election, and I am an official secretary of the BCA. You can’t suspend a secretary. Secondly, how can a president select a team? Have you ever seen BCCI president Roger Binny announcing the squad? You will always see the signature of Secretary Jay Shah.”

What were the two teams?

President’s Team List – Ashutosh Aman (Captain), Himanshu Singh, Ravi Shankar, Rishabh Raj, Navaj Khan, Vipul Krishna, Akash Raj, Baljeet Singh Bihari, Sarman Nigrodh, Veer Pratap Singh, Sakibul Gani (Vice-Captain), Vipin Saurabh (Wicketkeeper), Babul Kumar, Sachin Kumar Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Secretary’s Team List – Indrajit Kumar (Captain), Shashi Anand, Lakhan Raja, Yashasvi Rishabh, Prateek Kumar, Vikrant Singh, Himanshu Hari, Shashi Shekhar, Vedant Yadav, Abhinav Kumar, Kamalesh Kumar Singh, Vishwajeet Gopala, Prashant Srivastava, Deepak Raja, Apoorv Anand (Vice-Captain), Vikash Ranjan (Wicketkeeper), Shashim Rathore, Samar Kudari, Kumar Mridul, Kumar Rajneesh.

What is the history between Rakesh Tiwary and Amit Kumar?

Before the 2018/19 season, Tiwary and Amit were part of one faction, winning the BCA elections. However, Amit’s bond with the president strained around two years ago after his reported involvement with a warring faction. It led to his suspension from the BCA and has not held any position in the association since then. Hence, any team picked by him is void.

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