The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen on hosting the Ranji Trophy this season and the board is exploring all possibilities to have the premier domestic tournament played without compromising the safety of the players, according to treasurer Arun Dhumal.
The BCCi, after its apex council meeting in January, announced the postponement of the Ranji Trophy after rescheduling the start of the tournament multiple times in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in the country.
However, the pressure was mounting on the board with players expressing their concern at the possibility of Ranji Trophy’s cancellation for the 2nd successive season. The premier domestic tournament was not held in 2020-21 season but the players were compensated for the cancelled domestic matches earlier this year.
Speaking to India Today after a meeting among the BCCI officials to discuss the roadmap of Ranji Trophy, Arun Dhumal said the board is hoping to host the tournament in two parts — the league stage in February-March before the Indian Premier League and the knockouts after the IPL, provided all the logistics are put in to place in the wake of the pandemic.
The IPL is all set to get underway in the final week of March and run until the final week of May with 74 matches to be played by 10 teams.
“We are exploring all the possibilities of holding the Ranji Trophy. We are keen to hold it, it seems that cases are coming down and it’s important to have this tournament,” Dhumal said.
“The operations team will work out the logistics and if everything goes well, we might start from mid-February. A final call will be taken soon, we are looking at all the factors,” he added when asked about possible dates.
‘BCCI KEEN TO ORGANISE RANJI TROPHY’
Meanwhile, Dhumal said the BCCI has to consider the weather in host cities, the availability of players before going ahead and zeroing in on a final schedule for Ranji Trophy.
“The weather, venue availability, availability of players (are important factors). (It is being discussed) whether we can do the league stage next month and complete the rest of the tournament later, post IPL.
“Our team is working on it. We are very keen to organise the tournament and that is why we are exploring all possibilities to stage it without compromising players safety.
Dhumal also said the fate of the rest of the postponed domestic tournaments, including the C K Nayudu Trophy and the Senior Women’s T20 League, will be decided later based on the evolving Covid-19 situation.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said earlier this month that the board is looking at options to host IPL 2022 in India but is also considering back-up options, which include the UAE and South Africa.