BCCI ex-secretary Shah to chair ad-hoc panel for Bihar

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) former secretary Niranjan Shah will chair a five-member ad-hoc committee for administration of the sport's activities in Bihar.

BCCI treasurer and joint secretary M.P. Pandove will chair a similar commitee that will look into the affairs of Uttarakhand.

Shah will be assisted by Vinod Phadke, secretary of Goa Cricket Association, Sourav Dasgupta, secretary, Tripura Cricket Association, Bharat Zaveri, executive member of Gujarat Cricket Association and BCCI game co-ordinator Ratnakar Shetty.

Pandove will chair a five-man panel inclusive of Vishal Marwaha, secretary, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, Cricket Association of Bengal secretary Subir Ganguly, Vinod Shah, vice president of Maharashtra Cricket Association and K.V.P. Rao, BCCI manager for game development.

BCCI is currently embroiled in a legal tangle with Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) over a Rs.10 lakh payment as remuneration to Justice Dharam Pal Sinha who has agreed to conduct BCA elections after a gap of seven years.

Cricket in Bihar has been in shambles due to the absence of a representative body with no first-class matches staged in the state for several years.

"Due to infighting among different associations present in these states, aspiring cricketers of these states have to suffer for no fault of theirs. To ensure that cricket grows in these states, the BCCI has decided to form ad-hoc committees for these states, which will function till the affiliation issues of these states are resolved," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in a release.

"This will ensure participation of budding cricketers from these states in the BCCI Associate and affiliate members tournament, this season onward."

"During my recent visit to Bihar, I got representations of at least 17 organisations to start cricket once again in Bihar and similarly I've got representations of various organisations in Uttarakhand, who have lost on playing opportunity after bifurcation of Uttar Pradesh," Thakur said.