Meghalaya Cricket's 'High Court Academy': A 12-Point Team, an October 30 Order, and a Wholesale Roster Replacement Before Round 4

I keep an old notebook of Ranji scorecards where I don't just write numbers, but also note what I don't see. Over the years, I've grown used to filing stories from 4:12 a.m. vigils at the Gabba or Barbados. On that blank page, sometimes the biggest thing is why a player's name disappeared. On October 30, a Meghalaya High Court order handed control of cricketing affairs — and crucially, team selection — to the MCA president's faction, just before Round 4 of the 2026-26 Ranji Trophy season. That added a new chapter to my notebook. A team that had made a promising start with 12 points (1 win, 2 draws) suddenly took the field against Nagaland in Round 4 with a completely new roster. This wasn't a match report; it was a battle over the right to select, and the players paid the price.

The Ranji Trophy structure is split into two tiers — Elite Groups A, B, C and the Plate Group. Meghalaya, a developing cricket state in North-East India, plays in the Plate Group. Teams in this group lack depth, have thin benches, and young players need consistent game time to earn first-class caps. Accumulating 12 points from 3 matches at the start of the season is a sign of strong momentum at this level; it means the team won one match and drew two on the basis of first-innings lead (under the points system, first-innings lead earns points, though this is an assumption in my notebook, not official confirmation). Such a team was at peak stability. Then, on October 30, the Meghalaya High Court ordered that the faction led by MCA president James Sangma be given control of cricketing affairs, including team selection. The team previously selected by the committee led by secretary Rayonald Kharkamni was now completely sidelined. The order came mid-season, right before Round 4, leaving the new selection committee and the newly picked players with zero preparation time.

In my view, the biggest takeaway from this episode is that in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy, continuity in the squad is not just an advantage, it is a necessity — and a court order shattered that continuity completely. Replacing a 12-point team is not just 'rotation'; it's like abruptly halting a running machine and installing a new one. Plate Group squads are thin; when you field a 'completely new team,' most players either lack first-class experience or haven't played in a long time. In such a scenario, the match result doesn't test the new selection process; it is the outcome of an unplanned experiment. Whatever the result of the Round 4 match against Nagaland, using it as a 'win' or 'defeat' for either faction would be a mistake, because the lack of preparation is the biggest factor. The result of this match will not symbolise the implementation of a court order, but the chaos of organisational failure.

Another entry in my notebook: control over selection is not just about prestige, it is the fulcrum of players' livelihoods. When a court grants one faction the right to select, it is not merely an administrative change; it directly alters the careers of some players. The players previously selected by the old committee, now dropped, did not understand the cricketing reasons behind the decision. All they know is that their season, their statistics, and their progress are stuck in a legal battle. On the other hand, the newly selected players got first-class caps they might not have otherwise received in normal circumstances. This asymmetry — opportunity for one, injustice for another — is the real story here. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia explicitly stated that 'we have no option but to abide by the High Court order.' This statement clarifies the BCCI's legal position, but it also shows that the national board preferred to implement the court order rather than mediate in the dispute. This is a recognised default picture: the BCCI lacks an effective mechanism to resolve disputes within state associations, and judicial intervention becomes the last resort.

From my experience, state associations are the weakest link in the governance of Indian domestic cricket. In a competition like the Ranji Trophy, where every match is crucial for a player's career, a dispute over selection is not just a political battle; it is a battle that plays with players' futures. In a developing cricket state like Meghalaya, where the talent pool is limited, every player matters. In such a place, changing the entire squad is not just an administrative decision; it is a blow to the direction of that state's cricket development.

Going forward, there are two paths for this episode. One is that if the secretary's faction appeals, the dispute could escalate and Meghalaya's season could be completely disrupted, with players bearing the cost. The other is that if the High Court order stands, the president's faction will run selection for the rest of the season and the team will stabilise again. But I have a note in my notebook — the day a court decides who selects the team, the real history of cricket is not written in the scorecard, it is written in the court order. And that history is not always in the team's favour.