Image Credit- PTI
With the BCCI eager to stage the Ranji Trophy over two phases to minimise weather-related interruptions, especially in northern India, the 2024–25 Indian domestic season is slated for a makeover. The BCCI’s top council will consider the proposal, which suggests that the Ranji season might start in late September or early October.
The senior men’s white-ball tournaments, the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20), will take place after the first five rounds of matches. Immediately following will be the remaining Ranji season, which consists of three rounds of group matches and the knockout stages.
The Ranji Trophy for 2023–24 got underway in early January, although inclement weather had a major impact on a number of games in the opening half of the campaign. Numerous teams experienced logistical difficulties as a result of fog-related disruptions, which prompted several captains and coaches to openly express their worries.
Additionally, the board has suggested extending the three-day break between matches to four days, particularly in first-class competitions. Many athletes, most notably Shardul Thakur, have expressed the necessity for longer rest periods in between games in order to help players prepare and recuperate more effectively given the duration of the competition.
Mumbai, for example, played 10 first-class matches in under 10 weeks during their run to the 2023-24 Ranji title. “If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country,” Shardul had said. “Next year, they [the BCCI] have to re-look at it and give more breaks. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the day, [a] good seven to eight years back, the first three games used to have a three-day break, and then it was a four-day break, and knockouts were played with five-day breaks.”
In addition, there has been a great deal of speculation that the BCCI intends to raise domestic players’ match fees in addition to those of contractual Test cricket players.
Though there are ongoing debates about the idea of central contracts at the state level, no immediate plans are in the works. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) decided in March to give its senior men’s squad a 100% salary increase starting in the 2024–25 season as an incentive.