If Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal, chairman of the Vedanta Group, succeeds in the near future, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to get much bigger. Agarwal, born in Patna in 1954, has proposed that there should be an IPL franchise from Bihar as well.
Only four years ago, two new franchises -- Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants -- had been added to the high-profile league. Bihar is one of the most populous states in India and just on that basis deserves IPL representation.
Agarwal wrote a post in Hindi on X on Friday, stressing his case by invoking the names of Ishan Kishan (who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL), teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (who plays for Rajasthan Royals) and Sakib Hussain (who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad) -- all three born in Bihar. Here is the English translation of what the 72-year-old wrote.
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"Don't you think Bihar deserves an unparalleled team of its own, just like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders?
{{/usCountry}}"Don't you think Bihar deserves an unparalleled team of its own, just like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders?
{{/usCountry}}"The soil of Bihar has given the country many exceptional cricketers.
"Ishan Kishan, born in Patna, scored the fastest ODI double century in terms of balls faced. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Samastipur became the youngest player to make an IPL debut. And today, the eyes of the entire world are on the brilliant bowling of Sakib Hussain, born into an ordinary family in Gopalganj.
"But one thing always bothers me: why hasn't our Bihar yet earned the recognition and identity in cricket that we rightfully deserve?" he wrote.
Agarwal then goes on to advocate Bihar's cause. The state is considered the poorest in India, and for years, it didn't even have a state cricket board of its own. Things were set to rights only a few years ago.
"It has always been my dream and endeavour to ensure that the youth of Bihar get full opportunities to excel in every field, and that our players receive world-class infrastructure and support right here in Bihar.
"I'm fully confident that if our children get the right inspiration and facilities, the team emerging from our Bihar will become the best in the world.
"And I stand firmly with the youth of Bihar in this effort. I will provide unconditional support from my side to advance Bihar's cricket team and its players here.
"For me, Bihar is not just a state—it's an emotion. And now the time has come for the talent of our soil to shine on the field," his post further read.