New Delhi: Bihar has produced several top cricketers, but it still does not have an IPL team, Vedanta Resources Limited chairman Anil Agarwal pointed out in a LinkedIn post on Friday.
“Why is our Bihar still not getting the name and recognition we deserve in cricket?” he asked in Hindi, adding that Bihar should have a team on the lines of Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
In recent years, several players from Bihar have entered IPL scouting systems and domestic circuits, making headlines with their performances, but the state’s cricket identity has yet to shine.
The mining billionaire cited Patna-born Ishan Kishan, who scored one of the fastest ODI double centuries in international cricket, Samastipur’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi, one of the youngest players to make an IPL debut, and Gopalganj fast bowler Saqib Hussain.
He attributed this gap to a lack of sporting infrastructure and support in the state.
It has always been my dream and effort that the youth of Bihar should get full opportunity to move forward in every field, our players should also get world class infrastructure and support in Bihar itself,” he wrote. “ I am sure that if our children get the right motivation and facilities, then our team from Bihar will be the best team in the world.”
Not just this, Agarwal pledged that he would give his “unconditional support” to the Bihar cricket team from now on.
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‘Bihar is emotion’
Agarwal ended his post on an emotive note.
“Bihar is not just a state for me, it is an emotion. And now the time has come for our soil talent to be seen on the field,” he wrote.
The post quickly garnered more than 500 comments. While some endorsed his view, others took a more sceptical line.
Several commenters suggested that Agarwal himself should take the lead.
“I would suggest that you create a dedicated team for Bihar because your organization has already contributed a lot to industrial development in other states like Odisha,” said one.
In a similar vein, another noted that Agarwal should “be the change” he wanted to see.
“You must take the initiative. Because you have both funds as well as popularity to make it happen,” the comment added.
Another commenter, however, argued that Vedanta didn’t have much of a footprint in Bihar to begin with.
“How much investment has the Vedanta Group made in Bihar, and how many factories?” he asked.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)