Ranji Trophy 2022 To Begin From 16 February

The tournament was scheduled to begin on January 13 but was postponed due to Covid

The Covid-hit 2021-2022 Ranji Trophy season is all set to begin with Elite Group matches that will begin on February 16 and be played till March 5.

Eight groups of four teams each will feature in the premier domestic competition this time, with the six-team plate group matches scheduled to be held simultaneously.

Bengal has been clubbed with Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Baroda, they will play at Cuttack. Kolkata, Guwahati and Rajkot are other venues for the Ranji Trophy.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu will play group matches in Ahmedabad and are placed alongside Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. Hyderabad and Trivandrum are likely the two other venues.

The format has been tweaked and there will be eight groups of four teams each with the plate group comprising six teams. The knockouts will be held in June.

No red ball cricket has taken place in India since the Ranji Trophy final in March 2020.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on Friday had said that the postponed Ranji Trophy will be held in two phases, as he cleared the decks for India’s premier domestic competition to resume after being cancelled last season.

The tournament, which was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was scheduled to begin on January 13 but was postponed owing to a third wave of infections across the country.

“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," Shah said in a statement.

The two phases are required since the BCCI also plans to host the IPL from March 27 and hosting two big tournaments would not be possible practically as the players’ availability would also be an issue.