Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association set to host first Ranji Trophy game in six years

Jammu and Kashmir made every cricket fanatic take note of them after they beat the then 40-times champions, Mumbai in December 2014 during the Ranji Trophy game. In 2018, they hosted the first Ranji game since 2015. The cricket was still burning in the valleys, and the opportunity to host was minimal due to security reasons. But in a piece of positive news for the betterment of sport in Kashmir, the region will host its first Ranji game after a hiatus of six years. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has granted the hosting rights to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). Majid Dar, who is entrusted with the development of the sport in the region, confirmed the developments. He also added that two of the games will be held in Srinagar at the Sheri Kashmir Cricket Stadium and the third match will take place in Jammu, for which the schedule is awaited.

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"According to the match schedule issued by the BCCI, J&K's Ranji team will play against Maharashtra and Services in Srinagar at Sheri Kashmir cricket stadium," Dar said as quoted by Kashmir Convener. 

Services opt out of playing Ranji game in Kashmir in 2009

The incident that raised many eyebrows during the 2009 Ranji Trophy was when Services refused to play the first-round plate division match against Jammu and Kashmir. The team provided the security reasons for its decision despite JKCA's assurance of security forces accompanying them both on and off the field. However, BCCI took no time to ban the Services team from playing the 2009 Ranji Trophy games.

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Several players from the valley have been making good impacts on the Indian cricket circuit with the likes of Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik making it to the national team. For the unversed, Rasool was the first Srinagar, Kashmiri born to play an international game for India. Moreover, cricketers such as Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina have invested in the valley for the development of the game.