MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said on Friday that the Ranji Trophy this season would be held in two phases, in which all the league stage games would be held in the first phase.
“The Board has decided to conduct the Ranji Trophy this season in two phases. In the first phase, we plan to complete all matches of the league stage while the knockouts will be held in June. My team is working closely to mitigate any kind of health risk caused by the pandemic, while at the same time ensuring a highly competitive red-ball cricket contest,” Shah said in an official statement.
While Shah did not offer any definitive schedule for when the Ranji Trophy league phase would be held, his comment that the knockouts would be held in June clearly imply that the league phase would be held before the Indian Premier League kicks off on 2nd April while the knockouts will be held after that IPL final on 3rd June.
“Ranji Trophy is our most prestigious domestic competition, which has been providing Indian Cricket with an enviable talent pool every year. It is absolutely important that we take all necessary steps to safeguard the interest of this premier event,” he added.
With the BCCI contemplating holding the Ranji Trophy before the IPL, one group that is not happy with this decision are the team owners.
Mid-Day reports that some franchises have expressed their concerns to the BCCI and urged it not to hold the premier first-class tournament before the cash-rich T20 league as they fear injuries could jeopardise their teams.
Meanwhile, Shah’s statement comes close on the heels of former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri on Friday posting on Twitter that the Ranji Trophy is the backbone of Indian cricket and the premier domestic red-ball tournament should not be ignored.
“The Ranji Trophy is the backbone of Indian cricket. The moment you start ignoring it, our cricket will be SPINELESS,” tweeted Shastri.
On January 4, the BCCI had postponed the Ranji Trophy due to rising cases of COVID-19 cases in the country. The Ranji Trophy and Col CK Nayudu Trophy were scheduled to begin in January this year.
Last season as well, Ranji Trophy was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
