BCCI set to appoint neutral curators for Ranji Trophy 2018-19

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been constantly thinking of ways to improvise the level of cricket in the domestic circuit. They have come up with various ideas to make the Ranji Trophy, the premier domestic competition, a mass hit. Recently, the pitch curators associated with the BCCI met at the Curators Conclave to discuss various issues related to the ground.

The biggest outcome of the meeting was the fact that the BCCI will continue to appoint neutral curators for the matches of Ranji Trophy 2018-19. Over the years, the curators have often been under the pressure to create pitches that would suit the home side. This has led to the creation of substandard pitches. To minimize the doctoring of pitches and to increase the level of competition, the board has decided to appoint neutral curators.

“We got a very positive feedback from all the curators this time about the neutral curator concept. There hasn’t been any significant adverse report from the match referees with regards to poor or sub-standard pitches. So it was decided that neutral curators will continue for the upcoming domestic season also,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

“The tendency of the host associations to coerce the local curators into preparing designer tracks is a thing of past now. The feedback we got is that neutral curators were adept enough to stave off any kind of pressure that is put on them,” the official added.

Bengaluru – a benchmark

Another key area which the grounds need to work on is the drainage system. In this regard, the curators singled out the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as the benchmark. The venue in Bengaluru has the best drainage system. All other major venues are likely to follow the footsteps of Bengaluru in the coming times.

“Chinnaswamy Stadium has the best drainage facility among the stadiums. We are expecting that all the major international venues will have the same kind of drainage facility. The concept of sub-soil drainage was also discussed,” he remarked.

Furthermore, the official spoke about the condition of the pitches in the IPL this season. He remarked that the pitches played very well despite the fact that a plethora of cricket was played prior to the commencement of the IPL. Also, he noted that the list of curators for the upcoming season will be released soon.

“The standard of pitches during the last IPL was very good and the curators were praised for their work. The list of neutral curators will soon be released after the next round of meetings,” the official conceded.

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