When will domestic cricket begin: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Indian domestic cricket extremely hard.
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The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Indian domestic cricket extremely hard. Had it not been for the pandemic, multiple domestic tournaments across formats would have begun by now.
The last two days of the final match of the previous Ranji Trophy season were played in an empty stadium to combat with the pandemic. The number of cases in India have risen to such a number that the next season has also been affected by coronavirus.
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Considering the fact that 37 teams take part in the Indian domestic circuit, preparing one bio-secure bubble to accommodate all teams is impossible due to logistical reasons.
When will domestic cricket begin in India?
After the BCCI Apex Council met on Sunday to discuss the future of the domestic season, President Sourav Ganguly has hinted that the next season of Ranji Trophy might begin from January 1, 2021.
“We have had extensive discussions on domestic cricket and we have tentatively decided to start the competitions from January 1, 2021,” Ganguly told PTI from Dubai.
While the former Indian captain laid emphasis on not compromising with the prestigious tournament, the same could mean that the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy could be tampered with as far as their length is concerned.
“We will certainly have the full fledged Ranji Trophy red-ball tournament. It will probably not be possible to hold all tournaments. We also have elaborate plans for our age group and women’s cricket. We will start with Ranji Trophy and then we will also have the other tournaments between March and April,” Ganguly said.
Under ideal circumstances, the Indian domestic season culminates by March. With IPL 2021 slated to be played in April-May, there could be a possibility of non-IPL players taking part in a 50-over tournament in April.
