Bihar's official Ranji Trophy team announced after legal turmoil

After much deliberation, Bihar has officially announced its team for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. The 20-member squad is set to travel to Rohtak for their opening match against Haryana on October 11, amidst significant legal drama.

On August 5, the Patna High Court appointed Justice Shailesh Kumar Sinha as ombudsman to oversee the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA). Following this, Sinha reinstated Amit Kumar as BCA secretary. Kumar had initially taken legal action after being removed by the current BCA president, Rakesh Tiwari. Sinha also established a new selection committee, chaired by Zishan-ul Yaquin, which picked the squad on October 7, according to ESPNcricinfo.

However, on October 8, the Patna High Court temporarily suspended its August 5 order, rendering the selection committee's October 7 decision invalid. This ruling also removed Kumar as secretary and dismissed the ombudsman from his position. Subsequently, a new squad was announced, chosen by a selection committee led by Madhusudan Tantubhai. In a statement to ESPNcricinfo, Kumar expressed respect for the court's decision but indicated plans to consult his lawyer after the Dussehra festival on October 12.

"I respect the court's order, but after Dussehra [the Hindu festival on October 12], I will speak to my lawyer and, if he agrees, I will take the matter to the Supreme Court," Kumar said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

This latest ruling provides some relief for Bihar's cricketers, who have been caught in the ongoing power struggle between former BCA secretary Kumar and current BCA president Tiwari. With less than a week until the Ranji Trophy begins, two separate training camps were held in Patna, echoing the situation in January 2024. At that time, two rival factions sent teams to play against Mumbai at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, leading to Patna High Court intervention to formalise one squad.

"I respect the court's decision. I was heading the selection committee only after the ombudsman gave his order. I am happy that the players' dilemma has been resolved and they are finally going to Rohtak. I am also pleased that many players from the team I had selected are part of this squad. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have no allegiance to any group; my goal is to improve Bihar cricket," said Zishan, chairman of the previous selection committee that had announced the now-cancelled squad.

Players from both training camps have been required to inform the BCA via email that they had no contact with Kumar and were not part of the camp organised by him, according to ESPNcricinfo. Bihar is in a challenging Group C for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, competing against Bengal, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Last season, they finished at the bottom of Group B, recording four defeats and three draws in seven matches.

Bihar squad for Ranji Trophy: Veer Pratap Singh (capt), Shakibul Gani (vice-capt), Bipin Sourabh, Akash Raj, Shraman Nigrodh (wk), Babul Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (wk), Raghwendra Pratap Singh, Mayank Choudhary, Himanshu Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Abhijeet Saket, Anuj Raj, Shakib Hussain, Shabbir Khan, Rishav Raj, Harsh Vikram Singh, Jitin Kumar Yadav, Yashpal Yadav, Rishi Raj. (ANI)