Former India captain is now part of the 11-member working group created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to ensure rightful compensation of domestic Indian cricketers and detail how a full-fledged 2021-22 season can be planned and executed.
With the Ranji Trophy getting cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the very first time since its inception in 1934, players, especially those not featuring in white-ball tournaments and the IPL, lost out on a lot of money which sustains their livelihoods.
The BCCI has now formed a committee to take care of the players’ compensation and look after the organisation of the next domestic season, featuring the return of the Ranji Trophy.
Apart from Azharuddin, who is the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, the working group also includes Yudhvir Singh (Central Zone), Devajit Saikia (Northeast Zone), Santosh Menon (South Zone), Rohan Jaitley (North Zone), Avishek Dalmiya (East Zone) and Jaidev Shah (West Zone). BCCI office-bearers such as president Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and treasurer Arun Dhumal are also members of the group.
“We have to decide the way forward [for domestic cricket]. At this stage, I don’t have the agenda of the meeting and I cannot say anything.
But one thing I am sure about is we have the best of domestic cricketers’ interest in mind. The players’ interest is always a top priority.”
“We have to make sure that domestic cricket gets going. As you know, last year we didn’t have a full domestic season, understandably for reasons well known to the world. We have to see how the situation pans out in the course of time.”
Azharuddin was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz
The exact date of when the working group will be holding its important meeting isn’t yet confirmed, but it is likely to be held soon, given that BCCI has already announced that the next men’s domestic season will kick off as early as September.
