Ranji Trophy 2022 set to begin on February 16, league phase to go on until March 5
The 2022 season of the Ranji Trophy was set to commence in January, but was postponed due to the rising COVID-19 cases amid the omicron outbreak.
However, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah recently confirmed that the tournament is going to be held in two phases -- the league stage before the Indian Premier League (IPL), and the knockout stage after it.
The league stage of the competition is now reportedly set to begin on February 16 and go on until March 5.
The knockout stage is set to take place in June.
The 38 teams that will play will be divided into eight groups of four teams and the plate division with six teams.
The likely venues for the event are Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Cuttack, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Rajkot.
Ranji Trophy our most prestigious domestic tournament - Jay Shah
Speaking about the plans to hold India's domestic First Class competition over two seasons, Jay Shah had said:
"The Board has decided to conduct the Ranji Trophy this season in two phases. In the first phase, we plan to complete all matches of the league stage while the knockouts will be held in June."
He went on to add:
"My team is working closely to mitigate any kind of health risk caused by the pandemic, while at the same time ensuring a highly competitive red-ball cricket contest."
Speaking about the importance of the tournament, he said:
"It is our most prestigious domestic competition, which has been providing Indian Cricket with an enviable talent pool every year. It is absolutely important that we take all necessary steps to safeguard the interest of this premier event."
In 2021, the tournament was cancelled for the first time since its inception.