Patna: It’s been almost 18 years! The Bihar cricket team is ‘likely’ to participate in the Ranji Trophy slated to be held in October this year.

Bihar hasn’t participated in cricket tournaments at the national level since the year 2000, when the BCCI de-affiliated the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) as its full member and conferred the status on Jharkhand when the state was carved out from Bihar.

After the Supreme Court directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to permit the state to participate in domestic cricket championships and the Sourav Ganguly-led technical committee of BCCI recommended the reinstatement of Bihar in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy, the BCCI is working on formalities so that Bihar can play this year’s Ranji matches.

Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad Singh said: “We have come to know that Bihar will allowed to participate at this year’s Ranji matches. The team will be placed with state teams of northeastern states and Uttarakhand in the group.”

Singh said: “This year’s Ranji format will comprise four groups – A, B, C and D. The D category group will comprise Bihar, Uttarakhand and state teams from northeastern states leaving aside Assam.”

Based on the performance of teams in the D category, one team will get an entry in the quarter-final.

However, Singh claimed that an official communiqué is yet to be made from BCCI for participation in Ranji matches. As the state is likely to participate in Ranji matches, the BCA has started preparations for domestic matches.

The BCA is organising trial camps for selection of players from districts in different categories at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium.

Kumar Ankit, an aspiring player, said: “It is a great opportunity for cricket players in Bihar as apart from players getting an opportunity to play in domestic matches such as Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, there is an opportunity for players to play in the IPL too.”

  Bihar, naked truth, sports