The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), which conducted a T20 league without the approval of the Indian cricket board has assured the governing body of compliance in the future and issued and ‘unconditional apology’.

The Bihar Cricket League (BCL) was held from March 20 to 26 in Patna. The state association had written to the BCCI about plans to conduct the league in December and followed it up with letters in January and February.

However, the BCCI informed the BCA that no approval was being given for the tournament only on March 24. The BCCI also issued a notice to the BCA to stop conducting the league.

In an email reply to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, BCA president Rakesh Tiwary asked the cricket board to look at the matter keeping the interest of Bihar cricketers in mind.

“As BCA is a newly formed association and have comeback under BCCI’s umbrella after nearly gap decades, I , on behalf of Bihar Cricket Association assure you that in future the same shall not be repeated. If needed, I shall be very much thankful and obliged to you if you kindly give me precious time to explain the matter in person,” Tiwary wrote in an email.

All state associations need the approval of the BCCI to run franchise-based T20 leagues. In February, the anti-corruption unit (ACU) had asked the BCCI to crack down on franchise-based T20 leagues being run in states to curb corruption because of dubious backgrounds of owners. Chargesheets had also been filed against a few players and some of the owners earlier related to corruption in some of the state association leagues.

Tiwary in his email wrote that BCCI did not respond to BCA’s emails sent in December, January or February.

“Again an email dated 22.1.2021 was sent to the C.E.O. of BCCI by the C.E.O. Bihar Cricket Association wherein he has mentioned the dates for organising the Bihar Cricket League, 2021, but no response either in affirmative or even otherwise from the BCCI was sent or communicated to us,” Tiwary wrote.

The BCA, according to Tiwary’s email, also wrote to the ACU. In its reply, the ACU said they would be present at the tournament only after the BCCI gave a formal approval.

Tiwary also mentioned that the CEO of BCA had written again to the BCCI on February 17.

“The C.E.O. of Bihar Cricket Association vide his Email date 17.2.2021 had requested the BCCI to kindly grant the approval as the dates and preparation for conducting the BCL were already at its fag end and for organizing the said BCL information was already sent to the BCCI prior to 45 days and has also requested for ACU to support. That thereafter the BCCI did not respond or has given any sort of direction to the Bihar Cricket Association for not conducting the Bihar Cricket League, 2021. So we proceeded with the tournament.”

The BCA president mentioned that state association officials did not have time to go through the email of the BCCI (dated March 24) which asked them to stop the tournament as everyone was busy.

“As the entire Bihar Cricket Association were busy in their hectic schedule in making a tournament a grand success, in which we are successful and it is for the time in Bihar when the people of Bihar have witnessed such a glamorous tournament, so we could not go through the said email of BCCI dated 24.3.2021. We only pursue it on 26.3.2021.

Thereafter the C.E.O of the Bihar Cricket Association vide his email dated 26.3.2021 responded to the aforesaid email of the BCCI and requested to reconsider their decision in light of the discussions mentioned in this letter but till date we have not received any response from BCCI,” the letter reads.