Jamshedpur, Nov 3: Inclusion of five more players in the list of 25 Ranji probables has apparently created a rift between the selectors and officials of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA).

Sources said five cricketers — Sunil Kumar, Vinit Sharma, Viswajit Singh, Kumar Mridul and Manoj Kumar — have got the “back door entry” to the 25-member list of Ranji probables.

Sunil Kumar, who was “overlooked” earlier, is the former captain of Bihar. Sources added that the decision was taken at the behest of Ranji selection committee chairman Shekhar Sinha.

“Sinha wanted more players from Bihar to be represented. Barring Manoj Kumar, who is from Ranchi, the other four players are from Patna, the home town of the Ranji selection panel chairman,” one of the sources said.

The move to include five more cricketers has not been welcomed by some senior JSCA functionaries.

Speaking from Patna, Sinha admitted that additional players have been given slots in the list of Ranji probables. “But the five players have just been selected to attend the on-going camp,” Sinha said.

Sources said Sinha succumbed to pressures from different quarters, including politicians, bureaucrats and Bihar Cricket Association (Patna).

“Pressure is immense. Politicians are calling me up. It’s a challenging job, really,” admitted Sinha.