BCCI to cancel rescheduled Ranji matches after protest from state associations

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to rescind their initial stance of rescheduling the Ranji Trophy matches between Gujarat and Bengal as well as the encounter between Hyderabad and Tripura which was abandoned due to smog in Delhi in the first week of November.

“The Technical Committee of the BCCI recognised the extraordinary circumstances prevailing in Delhi and decided to reschedule the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 fifth round matches between Hyderabad-Tripura and Gujarat-Bengal after the first two days of play were lost due to smog conditions in New Delhi,” BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke had said in a media statement on November 6.

BCCI was planning to hold the abandoned matches at the end of the scheduled league from December 15 to 18 but MCA and TNCA have raised eyebrows that having the matches in hand at the end will be an undue advantage to the involving teams. There were many speculations by other state associations as they questioned how the matches which have been officially called off can again be rescheduled.

As per the playing conditions stipulated by the BCCI for Ranji matches, one point each will be awarded to both the teams if the match concludes without any team taking the 1st innings lead. The rule is applicable if the match is abandoned by rain or other issues.

BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke, however, blamed the match referees involved in those two matches and said that play could have been possible as there was a possibility that the smog could clear up and at least we could have seen some action in the remaining two days.

“It was a recommendation (by the technical committee) that was objected to and the final decision has been taken by the senior tournament committee,” Shirke was quoted as saying to the Hindu. “The whole problem is related to the match referee’s decision to call off the match (on the second day).”

Following Tamil Nadu’s chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s death on Monday night, the Ranji match between Odisha and Jharkhand which was scheduled to be played at Dindigul from December 7 has been shifted from the city due to the prevalent security concerns in the state.