Sourav Ganguly unaware that the Duleep Trophy has been scrapped

Former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly was caught completely by surprise when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently released the domestic fixtures for the season. He was in the dark that the famed Duleep Trophy has been scrapped for the 2017-18 season. Ganguly, in spite of being the BCCI’s Technical Committee Chairman, was reportedly unaware of the big move and got to know only after it was made public by the board.

Last month, at the technical committee meeting held in Kolkata, it had been decided that the BCCI will go ahead with the pink ball experimentation in this season’s Duleep Trophy. The pink ball had been introduced into the tournament in the previous edition as an experimental measure. However, the plans turned topsy turvy as the recently declared domestic fixtures for the season did not feature Duleep Trophy.

Ganguly questions scrapping of Duleep Trophy

The former Indian southpaw currently holds quite a few important positions in various governing bodies of Indian cricket, including the Chairman post of the Board’s Technical Committee, a spot at the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) and the position of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President. As reported by the PTI, Sourav Ganguly has addressed a letter to the General Manager, MV Sridhar enquiring about the cancellation of the first-class fixture.

According to an e-mail that has been accessed by the PTI, Ganguly has written, “I am reading in the media that Duleep Trophy has not or may not take place this season. I don’t know that’s true or not but if you remember, the members of the technical committee had agreed to use pink balls again for the Duleep matches and the tournament was supposed to be held in the same format as last year,” he stated.

Further, Ganguly had been involved in the planning for the tournament from the very start and had suggested that it be held in Hyderabad or any city in Southern India, owing to the ongoing monsoon in parts of Northern India.