Ranji Trophy 2016/17 will not be telecast on national television

Recent reports from various reliable sources go on to confirm that the 2016/17 edition of the Ranji Trophy will not be telecast on live national television. While this comes as a shock to those who acutely follow India’s premier domestic tournament, the official broadcasters have stated that the busy international schedule is the main reason for the absence of the telecast.

The telecast for the Ranji Trophy is usually provided by the Star TV Network Pvt. Ltd. Star has been on the ropes of Indian cricket for almost two decades. However, since the split from ESPN, Star has been bagging the rights to telecast matches featuring the Indian cricket team over the years. More recently, Star also became India’s newest shirt sponsor, a deal they have most certainly longed for.

However, having served the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) well for almost two years, the Star network is set to not telecast a match in the Indian subcontinent for the first time in a couple of years. The Board has been battling to popularize domestic cricket by taking it to neutral venues at small centers. But the domestic championship will disappear from the circuit if the matches can’t be watched by die-hard cricket fans.

The upcoming edition of the Ranji Trophy has been anticipated by one and all connected with the Indian cricketing fraternity in some way or the other. For perhaps the first time in the history of tournament the BCCI made the executive decision to have the Ranji matches played in neutral venues, something that will certainly go on to add the competitiveness of the tournament.

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The broadcasters of the Ranji Trophy also have gone on to state that telecasting a match in front of an empty crowd is something that demoralizes the cameramen on the scene who are known to capture the crowds during the intervals of matches. It all depends on the Board which is presently locked in a dispute with the Justice Lodha Committee on various administration-related issues.