Off-field controversies, uncertainty cloud Ranji Trophy build-up
The shadow of the BCCI's controversy surrounding the Lodha reforms has loomed large in the lead-up to the Ranji Trophy, along with plenty of talk about the likely impact of neutral venues
The 2016-17 season of the Ranji Trophy will begin on October 6 in uncertain times for the BCCI, which has been put in the dock after its failure to implement several key Lodha Committee orders.
While this may not directly affect the 28 teams and 700-odd players involved in this season, it is impossible to zone out the events that have caused the board much embarrassment this year. Add to that the teams' concerns of playing the tournament at neutral venues, a move adopted after a recommendation by the technical committee led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
Chaos has been a constant in the build-up to the season. The board announced the Ranji Trophy schedule on September 2, a little more than a month before its start. There was a push to play the tournament with the pink ball and BCCI president Anurag Thakur even confirmed the move on September 10 although the board had shelved its plans for a day-night Test this season. Several sides then confirmed that they hadn't received the pink ball for training, which forced the board to continue with the existing SG Red ball.
To add to this, logistical nightmares sprang up, not entirely of the board's making, with several sides being allotted new venues for their opening games. Political tensions along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border because of a water dispute forced Karnataka's opening match against Jharkhand, in round two of the tournament, to be moved out of Chennai to Greater Noida. Tamil Nadu's clash in Belgaum in December may also be shifted out. The first-round match between Saurashtra-Rajasthan in Chennai was shifted out of the state because of "unforeseen issues". It is in this scenario that the ten teams in Group C and nine each in Groups A and B will battle to be domestic champions.
A few coaches had also suggested that the system of home and away matches could continue without a toss being held, in which case a visiting captain could choose to bat or bowl in away games.
The 17 curators in charge of preparing surfaces across the country - up from 10 used last year - will have a tough job of trying to find the "middle path." Several curators admitted they were hesitant to prepare either a green surface or a turner for the fear that matches would not last four days. The only difference this season, though, is that with neutral venues teams will not have a distinct home advantage, compared to the previous two seasons when associations were guilty of producing surfaces with varying degrees of dryness and grass cover to suit their needs.
Twenty-eight matches finished within three days in 2015-16 compared to 20 in 2014-15. The number of outright wins, too, increased from 56 in 2014-15 to 63 in 2015-16 with the same number of matches played in both seasons (115). While result-oriented games are not a bad thing, there has been a sense that the tailored pitches added an artificial competitive edge to India's premier domestic competition.
