Ministry wants BCCI to send team for South Asian Games

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

The north-eastern states of Assam and Meghalaya are known for their love for soccer. But, the football-loving people of this region could soon see the rising stars of Indian cricket in action if the BCCI agrees to a proposal of the Sports Ministry.

The Ministry wants to include cricket in this year’s South Asian Games (SAG), to be staged in Guwahati and Shillong from December 10 to 20, as Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is keen on developing cricket in this region. 

The Ministry, along with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), recently approached the BCCI for the participation of its Under-21 team in the Games’ Twenty20 competition. The inclusion of cricket will depend on BCCI’s acceptance of the proposal.

India, along with other participating nations, has been trying to make cricket a permanent fixture in the biennial multi-sport event. 

“It’s the prerogative of the host nation to include any particular discipline in the SAG. India, as a host nation, is keen on introducing cricket in the 12th edition of the Games. The BCCI has already been sent a proposal and it’s apparently considering it positively. The Ministry had been mulling for long to include cricket in the SAG as all other participating nations, save Bhutan, play cricket. And T20 is anyway the most-watched format these days,” a senior Ministry official told The Tribune.

Confirming the development, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta said: “It would be great if the BCCI sends its team; it will make the SAG more popular.”   

Cricket was introduced in the last edition of the Games in Dhaka. India did not send its team then due to the BCCI’s reluctance to be a part of the multi-discipline Games.

The SAG is likely to cost Rs 60 to 70 crore, and it will see the participation of around 2,500 athletes from eight countries.