Cricket team named Taliban plays in a tournament in Rajasthan, creates controversy

Taliban taking over Afghanistan has made the news over the last couple of weeks or so. Several reports are coming out of the country every now and then even as cricket in Afghanistan is on uncertain terms with their bilateral series against Pakistan getting cancelled at the last moment late on Monday.

Meanwhile, the name ‘Taliban’ has created a controversy in India with a team named after them featured in a cricket tournament in Rajasthan. The competition is currently going on in the state’s Jaisalmer district in Bhaniyana village.

The team named Taliban participated in the cricket tournament which was being played in a village located around 36 km from Pokhran. The area around Pokhran, according to Times Now, is dominated by the minority community.

Organisers apologise for the mistake

After the inclusion of the team named Taliban created controversy, the organisers of the tournament were quick to remove the team. They also apologised for the same and explained that the team was added by the mistake. As reported by Times Now, the member of the organising committee then informed that the mistake happened due to online scoring this time.

The team was removed from the cricket tournament after they played the first match and the complete ban has been imposed on it. On behalf of the organisers and the village, the member also issued an apology to the nation and also assured that such a thing will not be repeated again.

As far as the cricket tournaments in India are concerned, a lot of T20 tournaments are being played within the bubble due to COVID-19 norms. Even the BCCI has announced a grand home season after not organising many matches due to the pandemic last time around. The Men’s and Women’s tournaments are set to start from September even as the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence on September 19 in the UAE.