Rajasthan teams kept out of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The fight for control of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has spilled over onto the cricket field, with teams from each faction reaching Indore to represent the state in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic Twenty20 competition. However, the Indian board has said that in the current scenario it cannot allow either team to participate in the tournament, which begins on Tuesday.

The fight between the two factions - one of which is headed by Lalit Modi - has already forced the BCCI to remove Jaipur as the venue of the first India-Australia ODI, which will now be held in Vadodara next Sunday.

"Since there is no clarity about which is the proper side representing Rajasthan, we can't allow both the teams," Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's chief administrative officer, told Cricinfo. "If there is a court order that nominates the correct team, we can allow that particular team. Till then our stand remains the same."

Modi had lost the RCA elections in March earlier this year but in September Sanjay Dixit, the new president, was removed from power in September by the Modi faction, which claimed a majority. The no-confidence motion brought in by the Sri Ganganagar District Association was subsequently accepted, and it was decided that fresh elections would be held in October 14. The date was later postponed to November 19.

However, in the interim, both factions have been sending teams to BCCI-organised events. Last week, both teams were refused permission to participate in the Under-19 National Women's Championship.