The Barak Premier League (BPL) is the pinnacle of cricketing excitement in Barak Valley. This event, eagerly awaited by cricket enthusiasts, showcases top-tier domestic players vying for the prestigious trophy. Organized by the Silchar Veteran’s Cricketers’ Club (SVCC), the seventh edition of the tournament concluded with its final match on March 14.
The day-night T20 match witnessed a massive turnout as the Hailakandi Stallions faced off against the Kings XI Karimganj. Batting first, the Stallions, featuring stars like Assam’s Parvez Musaraf, IPL player Shivam Sharma, and the formidable Samrth Vyas, posted an imposing total of 196 runs for the Kings to chase.
Jasvir Sherawat provided a blazing start for the Kings. However, Roshan Madhav, the other opener for the Kings, seemed out of sync with the game. Despite this, Sherawat helped Karimganj maintain a steady run rate of 10 runs per over. Just as the Kings reached 43 runs without loss after 4.5 overs, a passing shower disrupted the match and drenched the pitch at the Silchar District Sports Association’s Satindra Mohan Dev Memorial Stadium.
The brief downpour, lasting a mere four minutes, exposed glaring shortcomings in the management of Silchar DSA and SVCC. The ground cover was so extensive that it required a large team of groundsmen to move it onto the pitch. Curator Ram Behara had only two helpers at his disposal.
Before the covers could be deployed, they were soaked, leaving SVCC with no choice but to call off the match. However, the ensuing chaos highlighted a lack of preparedness from the organizers. In the past, during BPL or APCC finals at Silchar DSA’s ground, the district sports administration had always planned for contingencies. However, the current administration, led by Atanu Bhattacharjee, seemed at a loss on how to respond effectively to the crisis.
SVCC initially proposed holding the remaining parts of the final on March 15, the following day. However, BPL is a franchise-driven tournament where organizers do not share sponsorship revenue with teams or provide for their accommodation or travel. Consequently, both teams had already booked their return tickets to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, or Kolkata. The suggestion of a reserve day was deemed impractical at best and ludicrous at worst.
It was evident that the teams would not accept the disastrous proposal of a reserve day. Astonishingly, SVCC took to social media to blame both teams and their owners for the washout. “The BPL final was washed out due to heavy rain, and both teams were declared joint winners as the management offered a reserve day, which both teams refused to accept. The sports lovers of the entire valley are deeply disappointed with their decision,” SVCC posted on the official Facebook page of the Barak Premier League. Moreover, they proceeded to censor comments that logically countered them, further tarnishing SVCC and BPL’s reputation.
SVCC’s second suggestion, a toss to decide the winner, was met with widespread disdain as both teams had battled through a field of 14 others to reach the final. This proposal exposed the narrow-mindedness of the current committee. Their final suggestion, distributing only the winner’s cash prize instead of the entire prize pool, led to questions about their integrity from both teams’ owners.
Eventually, the entire prize pool was divided between the two teams, but only after undermining the pride of SVCC and Silchar Cricket in the eyes of cricketers from across the country.
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