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In major drama to start the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, two teams representing Bihar turned up for the match against Mumbai at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium.
One was chosen by the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) president Rakesh Tiwary and the other was led by the board secretary Amit Kumar. Both factions argued on the ground and a minor scuffle occurred as the start of the match was delayed.
Eventually, the state police intervened and allowed Tiwary's team to advance.
“We have picked the team on merit and that is the right team," Tiwary told The Indian Express. "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."
Kumar countered the claims in an interview with the daily.
"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,” he said.
The two also exchanged barbs over the involvement of former secretary Aditya Verma, who was the original petitioner in the 2013 spot-fixing case.
Tiwary blamed him for creating chaos in the stadium because his son wasn't selected for the president's team. Kumar said Tiwary's only blaming Verma because the two are no longer on the same side in the BCA.
BCA statement attacks secretary's "fake" Bihar team
Later in the day, BCA released a statement attacking Kumar's "fake team" for a "life-threatening" attack on a BCA official.
“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,” the BCA release said.
Bihar's on-field performance seemed unaffected by the chaos as they bowled out Mumbai for 251 in the first innings.
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