The opening day of the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic cricket tournament, was full of drama and excitement, both on and off the field. In a bizarre incident, two teams from Bihar showed up to play against Mumbai, one each from two warring factions of the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA).
Only one team was officially recognized by the BCCI and took the field against Mumbai at Patna’s Moin-ul-Haq Stadium. The other team, led by suspended BCA official Amit Kumar, created chaos outside the stadium, with Kumar reportedly attacking a BCA official.
Despite the off-field drama, there was a large crowd on hand for the match, likely eager to see Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who was supposed to lead the side but couldn’t play due to a neck spasm. Rahane, however, greeted the fans from near the boundary ropes.
The biggest news of the day, however, came when Bihar handed a debut to 12-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi is now the youngest player to debut in India’s domestic cricket setup since 1986.
On the field, Mumbai, the 41-time Ranji champions, were struggling at 235/9 at the end of the day. Bihar’s Veer Pratap Singh was the wrecker-in-chief, taking 4/42 in 13 overs. Sakibul Gani and Himanshu Singh also chipped in with two wickets each. For Mumbai, opener Bhupen Lalwani top-scored with 65, while Suved Parker and Tanush Kotian scored 50 each.
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