After a lot of dilemmas, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally issued a blueprint for the upcoming domestic season. BCCI has sought its state associations’ view on the structure of the curtailed season for which it plans to create six bio-secure hubs across the country between December and March.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to the state associations, the apex body has suggested four options to get started with the domestic season. The first option states only having the blue-riband Ranji Trophy. The second option is conducting just the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
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The third scenario is a combination of Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali while the fourth is a window for two white-ball tourneys (Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy). Going by the letter which has been accessed by the PTI, the BCCI has also spoken about the potential windows for the events.
BCCI to create six hubs for domestic season
The Sourav Ganguly-led body has proposed 67 days for Ranji Trophy (January 11-March 18). The Mushtaq Ali Tournament will need 22 days (December 20 to January 10) while Vijay Hazare Trophy, if held, can be conducted between January 11 to Feb 7 — a period of 28 days.
“Establishing a structure for a new competition during a pandemic has provided specific challenges for domestic cricket, most notably having the required medical personnel in place to handle stringent return-to-play protocols,” the letter stated.
Moreover, BCCI will create six bio-bubbles to get underway with the domestic competition. Each of the BCCI hubs will have a minimum of three venues and the games would be broadcasted digitally. It is a positive development after BCCI President Sourav Ganguly insisted that the season, which usually starts in August will go ahead at some point.
“The 38 teams will be divided into 5 Elite groups and 1 Plate group. The Elite groups will consist of 6 teams each while the Plate group will have 8 teams,” it stated.
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