"Backbone of Indian cricket" - Twitterati react as BCCI announces resumption of Ranji Trophy after two years
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the resumption of the Ranji Trophy this season after a gap of two years.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has revealed a plan for a two-phase system of the premier competition tournament in 2022. The first phase will take place before the start of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) while the second phase will take place after IPL 2022.
The cricketing fraternity were certainly happy with the BCCI's decision to resume India's premier domestic competition.
Here are some of the reactions:
Bhai Ranji trophy kab start ho Rahi hai? Ho Rahi ha na? I had at least 25 cricketers calling and checking on me about it. So happy to hear about Ranji trophy starting soon. #happynews @BCCI
So glad to hear that the @BCCI has decided to conduct the Ranji Trophy this season in two phases. Really it's a big news for first class cricketers. Well done BCCI #RanjiTrophy
The Ranji Trophy is the backbone of Indian cricket. The moment you start ignoring it our cricket will be SPINELESS!
So really happy that Ranji Trophy is back. Some were looking at opportunities to go to UK and play League cricket just to run their families. Now they can dust off their whites and get ready! Ranji Trophy is still a treasure for hundreds. Be it for a player in Kashmir or in NL.
A player from Tripura used to call me daily and ask about the possibility of #RanjiTrophy taking place this year. His savings had dried up and I could feel the sadness in his tone. He had lost hope. But as BCCI finally decided to conduct the tournament, he was finally relieved.
There is no substitute for #RanjiTrophy. It’s the spine which holds Indian cricket erect
Best news of the day is BCCI will be organizing Ranji trophy. Number of matches will be less but something is better than nothing. Around 1000 boys will get opportunity to showcase their talent. Thanks BCCI for making aspiring cricketers happy.
Generally there's only one winning team in Ranji Trophy, but this year, with the decision to play the tournament again, every team would feel a sense of victory. Happy for all those people whose livelihood is dependent on this great tournament.
Good to see Ranji Trophy restart decision taken. It is the most imp tournament for Indian cricket.
"We are set to conduct the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season" - Jay Shah
In a letter addressing the state associations, BCCI secretary Jay Shah has confirmed the resumption of the first-class tournament, which was postponed due to the ongoing third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Shah wrote:
"I write to you to apprise you all that the decks have been cleared and we are set to conduct the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season shortly."
The statement further added that the BCCI is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all the players and support staff involved in the tournament. The statement continued:
"My team at the BCCI has worked on a structure where we will conduct the Ranji Trophy this season in two phases. The first phase will begin soon and will comprise the league matches while the knockout leg will be held in the month of June."
"The daily positivity rate has now begun to decline while the recovery rate has been encouraging across India. We are now in a much better position to conduct the tournament than earlier. We will continue to have bio-secure bubbles to mitigate any potential risk. The board is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment and seeks your support in ensuring a safe tournament for all our key stakeholders."
The league matches will begin shortly while the knockout games will take place in June. Saurashtra are the defending champions as they defeated Bengal to lift the prestigious trophy in the 2019-20 season.