BCCI to conduct 1054 domestic games across 13 tournaments in 2021-22 season

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced 1054 domestic matches will be conducted across 13 tournaments in the 2021-22 season. The decision was confirmed during BCCI’s Apex Council’s virtual meeting recently.

“It is a massive astro-turfing exercise that the BCCI has undertaken and 1054 domestic matches under bio-secure environment will be no mean task,” a BCCI official. “It’s a record no cricketing nations can boast of in these times,” he added.

Keeping in mind the protocols related to Covid-19, the BCCI has tied up with Apollo Hospitals to create a bio-secure environment. “The enormity of the task can be gauged from the fact that the bio-secure bubbles will be created in over 25 cities and more than 75 hotels with at least 220 rooms in each city,” the BCCI official said.

“Given the constraints of time because of need to quarantine for six days before the start of a tournament and again before the knockout rounds, a few tournaments like Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy had to be excluded,” the BCCI official stated.

“BCCI’s domestic season is the backbone of Indian cricket. Thousands of players play across various tournaments and age group. The domestic cricket is the nurturing ground for producing world class players for the Indian team,” the Apex Council note says.

“The BCCI was able to organise a very limited amount of domestic cricket in the last season due to the raging Covid 19 pandemic. In the current season, the pandemic situation has considerably improved, and the vaccination process is in full swing. India is also opening, and domestic travel allowed in most parts of the county,” it further adds.

“The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the full domestic season for 2021 – 2022 for both and men and women category. The new season will be played in a bio secure environment in a similar manner like how it was done in the previous years,” the note concludes listing out the tournaments to be conducted.”

Tournaments for 2021-22 domestic season

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy, Men’s State A One Day, Col C. K. Naidu Trophy, Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Men’s U19 One Day Challenger, Cooch Behar Trophy (Multi Day), Senior Women’s T20 League, Senior Women’s One Day League, Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy, Women’s U19 One Day League and Women’s U19 One Day Challenger Trophy.