Ranji Trophy to be held in two phases, confirms BCCI Secretary Jay Shah

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on January 4 had officially announced that the domestic including Ranji Trophy has been postponed due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. The cricket board had taken this decision taking into consideration the safety of all the players, support staff, match officials, and the other participants involved.

Apart from the Ranji Trophy, BCCI had also postponed other domestic tournaments- Col CK Nayudu Trophy and Senior Women’s T20 League. Now, it has been learned that this edition’s Ranji Trophy would be held in two phases. This news has been officially confirmed by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

“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,” Jay Shah said in a statement according to India Today.

Ranji Trophy is our most prestigious domestic competition, says Jay Shah

Terming the iconic Ranji Trophy as India’s most ‘prestigious’ domestic competition, Jay Shah added that the tournament has been providing Indian Cricket with an enviable talent pool annually.

“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,” he added.

The 2021/22 season of the Ranji Trophy was originally scheduled to kick off from January 13 but the BCCI announced nine days before its commencement that the season has been postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus concerns.  The pandemic had also forced the cancellation of the 2020/21 season. This was the first time in the history of the traditional tournament that it had to be canceled ever since its inception in the 1943-35 season.

Saurashtra had defeated Bengal to win their maiden title in the 2019/20 season. Mumbai are the most successful team with 41 titles to their name. It would be interesting to see whether the reigning champions will retain their trophy or will the title change hands after a two-year hiatus.