Odisha U-19 cricket team returns home safely from Assam

Guwahati: The Odisha U-19 cricket team that was stranded in a hotel on the highway near Guwahati for two nights has finally returned home. The team was escorted by the local police force to the Guwahati airport on Friday morning from where they flew back to Bhubaneswar.

The team was in Guwahati to play the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match against Assam that was scheduled on Friday in Nagaon. But, due to the mass protest staged in the city following the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019  (CAB) row, the team along with the BCCI match officials were stranded for 30 minutes on the highway.

Sensing that things could get nastier, match referee Sreekumar Nair approached the BCCI and Assam Cricket Association (ACA).  The Board responded to the matter immediately and made arrangements for the team’s accommodation in a hotel.

On the other hand, BCCI also canceled the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match and on ACA’s request, has planned to shift Assam’s next Ranji match against Jharkhand to other venues in Jharkhand.

The Services Ranji team and the BCCI match officials expressed their gratitude to Guwahati police for ensuring their safe return from the city.