On January 28, the Board of Control for Cricket in India stamped approval to a suggestion by its operations team to conduct the Ranji Trophy in two phases.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed to the media, state associations and fans that the country’s premier domestic first-class tournament will have its league games and knockouts split by the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League. While the Elite and Plate League games will be played in the February-March window, the board is looking to organise the knockout matches in June later this year.
“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,”
Shah was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo, signalling the start of the tournament that had to be postponed from its January 13 kick-off date due to the rising cases of the pandemic.
The BCCI had to announce a 15-day delay to the Ranji Trophy because of the pandemic’s third wave in India. The board had hoped to reschedule the tournament, provided there is a downward curve in positive cases and recovery rates were high.
In a letter to the state associations, Shah has said “the decks have been cleared” for them to have a season beginning in February. But while encouraged by the drowning cases in certain centres and the increasing recovery rates, he stated the board will not leave anything to fate with regards to the health security of everyone involved in the competition.
“Ever since the decision on postponement was made, the board was working on several models to ensure that the tournament takes place as soon as the environment is safe and conducive. We will continue to have biosecure bubbles to mitigate any potential risk,”
Shah wrote.
The board secretary further said that the details of the rejigged tournament – the groups, the structure and the venues – will soon be communicated with the state associations. Shah also asserted the value of the Ranji Trophy to Indian cricket and its smooth progression at the international stage.
“The 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.
Shah’s remarks came only hours after former India allrounder and ex Indian men’s team head coach Ravi Shastri feared for the worst with regards to the Ranji Trophy this season. Amid threats of a second successive year’s cancellation, Shastri took to Twitter and said the Ranji Trophy is the “backbone” of Indian cricket, without which “our cricket will be spineless”.
The Ranji Trophy, featuring 38 teams split into Elite and Plate groups, is a direct feeder to India’s ‘A’ set-up, which then provides players for the Test side. The multi-day tournament allows over 700 players to showcase their talent and also make a living out of the Indian domestic scene.
These players were left at a cross-road last winter when the Ranji Trophy had to be cancelled entirely, and the BCCI could only organise the List A Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20.
The board, however, compensated those players with 50% match fees and also announced a pay-raise per match for the season.
Still, though, the pandemic-enforced make-up of the Ranji Trophy is that of a tournament that provides only five guaranteed fixtures to the Elite Group players, unlike eight before the global outbreak. It is hoped that the competition will revert to its full-fledged version once the pandemic is over.
