Chandigarh gets BCCI affiliation after four decades

Chandigarh on Friday received affiliation from the BCCI after nearly four decades.

"Today, in the meeting of BCCI, the affiliation of Chandigarh has been approved. I got the message from BCCI that Chandigarh has been formally inducted as a cricket playing state with the Board," Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA) president Sanjay Tandon told reporters here in the evening.

He said that UTCA was registered in 1982 and since then various attempts were made to get the affiliation.

Without naming anyone, he said there were some individuals in the BCCI who came in the way of Chandigarh's affiliation in the past.

"I took over as president of UTCA in June 2016. I must say efforts of everyone paid dividends towards realising this dream," said Tandon, who is also president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Chandigarh unit.

He said that Chandigarh has been a breeding ground of a number of cricketers, but were forced to play for Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and different states.

"Today, the dream of a child who wanted to play from Chandigarh has been fulfilled. It's a historic day for the game of cricket in Chandigarh," he said.

Tandon said that Chandigarh will now have its own team, adding the challenge now is to set up a good cricket outfit.

He also gave details how Chandigarh finally got the affiliation and also specially mentioned about the efforts of a two-member committee of BCCI, comprising Anshuman Gaekwad and Saba Karim who had visited the city earlier and met UTCA members with regard to recognition.

To get BCCI affiliation, Chandigarh Cricket Association-Punjab had recently decided to merge with UTCA, thus paving way for the Union Territory to be recognised as a separate entity.

The development came after representatives from CCA-Punjab held an extensive meeting with UTCA officials at Sector 16 cricket stadium here.