Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah announced that this season’s Ranji Trophy will be played in two phases.
All the league matches of Ranji Trophy will be conducted in the first phase. The second phase, on the other hand, will be comprised of knockout matches, in June.
Previously, it was decided that the Ranji Trophy will start on January 13 but due to the rising cases of Covid-19, the BCCI had to postpone the first class tournament indefinitely. Ranji Trophy, along with Col C K Nayudu Trophy had to be postponed previously.
Official statement
“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 said in an official statement on January 28 (Friday).
“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. 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,” Shah added.
Ranji Trophy had to be cancelled in 2020 as well, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Importance of Ranji Trophy
Indian Test team’s results in recent times have been appreciated by many. Indian Test team under the leadership of former skipper Virat Kohli and under the guidance of former head coach Ravi Shastri did a remarkable job to establish themselves as one of the most successful Test teams in the world.
And if team India want to take this winning momentum forward then its domestic cricket tournaments like Ranji Trophy must be considered as a serious event.
Regarding this, Shastri on January 28 (Friday) wrote on Twitter that "the Ranji Trophy is the backbone of Indian cricket” and if it is ignored then Indian cricket will be “spineless.”
“The Ranji Trophy is the backbone of Indian cricket. The moment you start ignoring it, our cricket will be SPINELESS,” Shastri tweeted.
