Published: Sep 11, 2015, 08:19 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 11, 2015, 09:03 PM (IST)
To solve hassles faced by cricketers under the umbrella of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), owing to an impasse with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), teams of selection committees have been ratified by the Rajasthan High Court to perform selection duties for the upcoming Indian domestic season for the state’s players. Amrit Mathur, the former India team manager, is designated the coordinator for all the selections committees that will be required for duty until the RCA-BCCI standoff is resolved. Pankaj Singh, the prominent Rajasthan bowler, had led a group of cricketers to assemble in Jaipur to make an appeal to concerned stakeholders so they would help restore normalcy that would enable cricketers to participate in domestic competitions. READ: Pankaj Singh appeals to BCCI, court to save Rajasthan cricket
The problems for cricketers started when RCA was de-recognised by the BCCI as Lalit Modi, the banned ex-Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner, was elected the President of the regional body in 2014. BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel had categorically stated then that RCA and Modi were non-existent for them, but had also added that care would be taken so ‘cricket is not affected and cricketers are not affected across all age groups’. An ad-hoc committee was appointed to run cricket in the state.
The High Court had, last year, approved the selection committees appointed by the BCCI to do their duties as Rajasthan cricket representatives. The Modi faction, however, had objected to the Indian board’s ad-hoc committee, as they have done in the lead up to the upcoming Ranji season. READ: Pankaj Singh: Players are worried about their future
The latest court order, however, has specified that the sanctioned teams will carry their tasks, and the BCCI will ‘facilitate and provide logistics support to the Rajasthan cricketers’* until the issues between the two bodies are resolved. The selection committees formed are for juniors, seniors and women categories.
The court order effectively relieves Rajasthan’s cricketers of the uncertainty surrounding their participation in BCCI-managed matches and tournaments.
Selection committees (Coordinator: Amrit Mathur; Assistant: Taposh Chatterjee):
Seniors: Rajinder Singh Hans (National selector), Sanjay Vyas, Vivek Bhan Singh, Najmul Hussain, Vinod Mathur, Bharat Bhushan.
Juniors: Pritam Gandhe (National selector), Sukhvinder Singh, Pramod Yadav, Kuldeep Mathur.
Women: Hemlata Kala (National selector), Megha Gour, Shabana Khan, Pratima Bharti.
*Updated after a revised press note by the BCCI
