After 2022 season of Ranji Trophy was postponed due to rising case of Covid-19, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to start the league red-ball tournament next month. While players’ safety still remains paramount, the board is keen on hosting the tournament, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal confirmed to Sports Tak.
We are exploring all the possibilities of holding Ranji Trophy. We are keen to hold it. It seems that (Covid-19) cases are coming down and it's important to have this tournament,” Dhumal told Sports Tak.
When asked about the schedule of the long domestic tournament, he said, “The operations team will work out the logistics and factor in the weather, venue availability, availability of players. Whether we can do the league stage next month and the complete the rest of the tournament later post IPL.”
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, Ranji Trophy has not been held since 2020. The tournament not only gives chance to young talent but also provides financial support to hundreds of players.
Recently defending champions Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat also said that if the tournament gets cancelled for the second time in a row, it will be a big loss.
“Two years in a row would be a great loss. One year itself was a great loss. When we started our pre-season camp before the eventual postponement, it felt like a whole new game.
“Leaving the ball, bowling with pace and bowling long spells. All that had gone out of the picture. It is going to be difficult for sure if it doesn’t happen this year too,” the left-arm pacer told PTI earlier this week.
Unadkat also had similar thoughts as he said that the tournament can be held next month.
“I hear that BCCI is keen on staging it. If the virus situation doesn’t become threatening, we can have it in February with a stricter bubble and more vigilance,” the 30-year-old asserted.
