The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must prioritize domestic cricket to sustain India’s talent pool, according to a recent report. The Indian Premier League (IPL) window and the Indian team’s international fixtures are never tinkered with, even though they could be extended. As a result, the men’s domestic cricket calendar ends up getting the shorter end of the stick time and again. For example, the Ranji Trophy knockouts have been played in June 2022 after the Omicron variant of COVID-19 shrank the premier domestic championship to three league games per team. Consequently, 2021-22 saw a late end to a domestic season while the subsequent season ended with the Ranji Trophy final in February 2023.
To ensure that the legacy tournaments are organized, the BCCI is making a modest effort to stage inter-zonal tournaments. With the IPL’s window likely to keep getting longer, the BCCI will have no option but to start the domestic season early before the onset of the monsoon countrywide. The ploy of staging inter-zonal tournaments is likely to persist for the next few years, with Rahul Dravid, the head coach, and National Cricket Academy chief V.V.S. Laxman spearheading the planning. Once the inter-zonal tournaments are held early, it can give ample time to avoid India-A fixtures clashing with the Ranji Trophy knockouts, and key players returning from injuries can be tried out at the beginning of the new season.
However, domestic cricket in India has not received much attention, despite its importance. The Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which features most of the players who go on to play in the IPL later in the season, sees not more than 50 of us watching it from the sidelines, according to Kiran More, the former India wicketkeeper who watches domestic cricket from close quarters all year round as a talent scout for Mumbai Indians. The staging associations must create a buzz locally and draw spectators to the stadiums, and the BCCI can create razzmatazz like the IPL with music playing, More added.
The Ranji Trophy has been pushed back repeatedly over the last few years as the Mushtaq Ali Trophy has to be played before the IPL Player Auction to help franchise talent scouts. The premier first-class championship has started in October, November, December, and even January due to various reasons over the last decade. Therefore, it is essential to identify a set window for the Ranji Trophy, considering its significance. If the Ranji Trophy is played in a set window, it will help players plan their annual training schedule, said Surendra Bhave, former domestic stalwart who coached various teams in the past and served as a national selector during India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign.
In conclusion, if the talent feeder line is to continue, domestic cricket must be brought back to the centre of Indian cricket. The domestic calendar should receive the necessary attention to enable the nation’s cricketing ecosystem to function smoothly.
