Rajasthan cricket club ‘Taliban’ removed from local tournament after backlash

A cricket team in Rajasthan named ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ triggered a row in Jaisalmer and was eventually removed from a local tournament. Based in the Bhaniyana village in Jaisalmer district, approximately 36 km from Pokhran, the team was included in the tournament by mistake, the organisers said in their apology. 

Also read: Afghanistan-Pakistan ODI series postponed following Taliban takeover

At a time when the entire world has been taken aback after the Taliban’s effective takeover of Afghanistan, causing thousands of Afghans and non-Afghans to flee the war-torn country, a cricket team named after the Islamic group has emerged. 

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As per media reports, the organisers were criticised after team ‘Taliban’ played its first match. In a statement, they said that the team was included in the tournament by mistake and was later removed after being acknowledged by them. A complete ban was put on the team and the players as well.

An organiser, as per reports, later apologised on behalf of his team and the villagers, assuring that such incidence will not be repeated again. He added that online scoring has been initiated this time due to which the incident got reported. 

Also read: Taliban takeover in Afghanistan prompts fears of a resurgent al Qaeda

The organisers maintained that the cricket tournament is held every year with a motive to promote mutual brotherhood and harmony among people residing in the village locality. 

The Taliban captured the Presidential palace in Kabul last week. Reports on Monday said that  India, which has already brought back around 730 people from Afghanistan, is nearing the end of its evacuation mission that started on August 16. On the other hand, the  US has, as of August 22, evacuated 17,000 people since August 14. The country is expected to take in over 10,000 Afghan nationals for permanent citizenship. The UK evacuated nearly 4,000 Afghan people since August 13, the country’s MoD said in a tweet Sunday. The UK is aiming to resettle 20,000 Afghan nationals through it’s refugee scheme.