Court Ruling Forces Meghalaya to Field an Entirely New Ranji Side Against Nagaland

Meghalaya's Ranji Trophy campaign took an extraordinary turn on Wednesday when an entirely new side took the field against Nagaland in Shillong following a High Court ruling. The court declared the original squad's selection invalid, upholding the suspension of secretary Rayonald Kharkamni and ruling that resolutions and selections made by a rival Apex Council faction were not valid. The original squad still arrived at the ground on the morning of the match despite being told the previous day they would not be permitted to play, but match referee Arindam Sarkar met them at the venue and confirmed they had to leave because the BCCI had registered a completely different eleven. That new side, captained by former Punjab opener Jiwanjot Singh, replaced every member of the team that had featured in the earlier rounds of the Plate League. On the field, the reshuffled team made a respectable start to an almost impossible situation, posting 254 in their first innings after Nagaland had been dismissed for 144. The episode raises serious questions about governance within the Meghalaya Cricket Association and leaves players caught in the middle of an administrative dispute. For the replacement eleven, however, the focus now is simple: represent their state and compete, despite arriving at the biggest stage of their season under the strangest of circumstances.