Arunachal Pradesh has forfeited its Ranji Trophy Plate Group season opener against Nagaland after the state’s cricket administration failed to select a team amid a continuing legal deadlock.
The fixture was scheduled at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to coincide with the start of the 2026-27 domestic season. With no functioning authority to manage selection and team operations, the points from the match go to Nagaland, whose squad had already reached Ahmedabad.
The forfeit follows Arunachal Pradesh’s failure to field its Under-19 side for a Vinoo Mankad Trophy fixture against Sikkim in Bhubaneswar earlier in the week — the second competition the state has missed in a matter of days.
A Court Battle Paralyses the Association
The crisis stems from a dispute over the Arunachal Cricket Association’s September elections, in which Nabam Vivek was elected president. Six district associations — Lower Siang, Upper Subansiri, Kamle, Tawang, West Siang and Papum Pare — challenged the polls before the Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court, alleging irregularities and demanding fresh elections.
The court has reserved its order in the matter, but an interim stay on the association’s functioning remains in place. The deadlock has left the state body without anyone authorised to pick teams, arrange logistics or conduct trials.
BCCI Says It Cannot Intervene
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board is unable to step in while the matter is before the court. “There are two factions in the Arunachal Cricket Association, and they are having a litigation issue in the Guwahati High Court-Itanagar Bench. There was some stay order from the High Court about a couple of months ago on the board’s functioning,” Saikia told IANS.
He added that with no one running the state body, the BCCI cannot form an alternative selection panel: “Until the court gives the clearance, we cannot do anything.”
Players Left Waiting
Veteran Arunachal cricketer Techi Neri confirmed that a squad had not even been picked. “The team hasn’t been selected. I am in Itanagar,” he said, describing the uncertainty facing the players.
The Plate Group also includes Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim, and the unresolved dispute now casts doubt over Arunachal Pradesh’s participation through the rest of the season. The setback follows a difficult previous campaign, in which the state finished at the bottom of the Plate Group table after losing all five matches.
#ArunachalPradesh #RanjiTrophy #Nagaland #BCCI #Cricket #NortheastNews #AbotaniTV
