MUMBAI: "Dear red ball, please give me one more chance.. I'll make you proud, promise!," Saurashtra left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat had tweeted, along with a picture of a Test match ball in his hand, on January 5, the day the BCCI decided to postpone the Ranji Trophy and all the other domestic tournaments due to a covid surge in the country.
The BCCI's move, though logical in the circumstances, has left India's domestic cricketers confused and anxious with the whole situation, as the Ranji Trophy is a major source of both income and opportunity. "The Ranji is extremely important for a majority of us domestic cricketers. It's their major source of our livelihood. You get Rs 35,000 per day for playing in the Ranji Trophy. If a player plays in the full season, he can earn anything between Rs 18-20 lakhs. Players have EMIs and many other monthly expenses. This money is crucial for their survival. The other issue is, how do you plan ahead for the rest of the season? Right now, we're confused whether to practice with the red or white ball," a well-known domestic player told TOI.
A top BCCI official that this paper spoke to said that the Board is "trying its best" to organize the Ranji Trophy this season. "Provided the covid situation stays in control, we're keen, hopeful, and trying our best to organize the Ranji Trophy. Almost all the state associations want the Ranji Trophy, which couldn't be held due to Covid-19 last time, to be held this time. The problem is that even though the number of hospitalizations and deaths is lesser than the previous two covid waves, the number of positive cases (India reported 2,38,018 covid cases on Tuesday)is still high. We'll have to give it some more time and then come up with options," he said.
Listing out the various options before the Board, if it restarts the Ranji Trophy in mid-February, the source said: "The BCCI can go back to the zonal basis, which will prevent too much travelling, or the Ranji can be held in cities and towns where the situation is improving. For example, the number of cases are coming down steadily in Mumbai. Dharamshala and Pondicherry could be a good options."
One major issue before the BCCI is that the Ranji Trophy requires a lengthy window to be completed. The IPL is slated to begin in the first week of April, and the franchises want players a bit earlier for a pre-tournament camp. "The BCCI is mulling the option of playing the league stage before the IPL, and the knockouts post the T20 league," revealed the source.
"A major reason why the Ranji Trophy needs to be held is that the supply line to India's Test team is getting affected majorly. You need immediate replacements for Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in theTest team. If the Ranji Trophy isn't there, how do the national selectors know who are the players in form in red ball cricket? The BCCI too is concerned about this fact," he said.
"When everything else in the country is running -including trains, buses, flights, offices and factories, why not cricket in a bio-bubble? Why deprive so many cricketers of their livelihoods. For how long will you not play the Ranji Trophy due to covid scare? Covid is here to stay," lamented a state association official.
However, there are those too who are skeptical about holding the Ranji Trophy at this time. "It will be very risky. Even if one player is infected and slips into a serious condition, the BCCI will be blamed for it. Cricket can't be more important than life. Better to organize the Ranji Trophy post the IPL," said another Board member.
