Chhattisgarh, Manipur seek Ranji entry

Chhattisgarh and Manipur made another case to be awarded the BCCI's full membership as they made a presentation to the board's affiliation committee in Bangalore on Sunday.

Full membership would not only give both states - currently associate members - an annual revenue in excess of Rs 20 crore (approx. $3.03mn) but more importantly, will facilitate their entry into all the senior-level tournaments conducted by the BCCI.

"We made a presentation to the BCCI affiliation committee today. We were asked to present our case. Now that we have explained all the activities, we hope that the BCCI takes our efforts into consideration and awards us full membership," Rajesh Dave, secretary of Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh, told ESPNcricinfo.

Both the states have been allowed to participate in the BCCI's junior tournaments but lack of participation in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has hampered the progress of cricket there. Besides, with the board's grant of approximately Rs 75 lakh (US$114,000) annually to its associate members, the developing states find it difficult to establish a structured development programme.

However, CSCS and Manipur Cricket Association have been putting in a lot of effort to develop cricket in their jurisdiction. Both the states put in consistent performances in the BCCI's affiliate and associate members' tournament before it was disbanded two years ago as well as impressed at times during the Under-22 tournaments.

The committee also considered Mizoram Cricket Association's application to be awarded BCCI's affiliate membership. The three-member committee, comprising BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, Vidarbha Cricket Association president Prakash Dixit and Goa Cricket Association vice-president Dr Shekhar Salkar, will now forward its recommendations for consideration at next month's annual general meeting.

If the board decides to award membership to either of the states, it will result in additional votes in the BCCI's list. At present, the board has 30 full members. Due to the volatile election scenario, last year's AGM had not considered Chhatisgarh's plea.

Chhattisgarh, along with Sikkim Cricket Association, Manipur Cricket Association and Bihar Cricket Association are BCCI's associate members. Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh happen to be affiliate members, with Mizoram likely to join the ranks next month.