Arunachal Pradesh Forced to Forfeit Ranji Trophy and CK Nayudu Openers Amid Administrative Crisis
Arunachal Pradesh Forced to Forfeit Domestic Openers as Crisis Deepens
Arunachal Pradesh's cricketers will not take the field for their opening fixtures of the season, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that two scheduled matches have been called off.
The northeastern state have been deemed to have forfeited their season opener against Nagaland in the Ranji Trophy Plate division, a match that was set to begin on Sunday (October 11) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. They will also miss the CK Nayudu Trophy season-opener against Meghalaya, scheduled to start on October 12.
The confirmation came directly from the BCCI, whose Cricket Operations team informed the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) that the two opening-round matches — in the Ranji Trophy Plate division and the CK Nayudu Trophy — would not be held.
GCA officials passed the BCCI's decision to the Nagaland side, who had based themselves in Ahmedabad, on Saturday evening, advising them that the status of future matches would be intimated in due course.
"We have been informed by a GCA official that there will be no match tomorrow. It was to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium. We don't have further information," a member of the Nagaland team told Cricbuzz on Saturday evening.
Administrative Paralysis
The root cause of Arunachal's withdrawal lies off the field. A dispute over elections to the Arunachal Cricket Association (ARCA) has landed in court, with the Gauhati High Court hearing the case and reserving its verdict. In the absence of a legitimate administrative body, cricket in the state has ground to a halt.
No team has been selected, and the pre-season camp that used to be organised in Ahmedabad has not taken place either. Ahmedabad has served as Arunachal Pradesh's home venue for domestic matches over the past few years.
What's Next
Arunachal's next Ranji match — against Sikkim in Nadiad from October 18 — remains in doubt. In the CK Nayudu Trophy, their first fixture against Manipur, scheduled for the MCA Cricket Ground in Shillong from October 12, has also been cancelled. Their second CK Nayudu game, against Nagaland at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Anand from October 19, is similarly shrouded in uncertainty.
On the field, Arunachal have struggled historically. They lost all five of their matches in the Plate division last season, and across 41 Ranji Trophy matches they have managed just a single victory — against Bihar in 2022.