The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has presented the State Associations with the four options to stage a shortened Domestic season for this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report by the Hindu, BCCI secretary Jay Shah supplied with four options to the BCCI affliates through a mail for the men's 2020-21 domestic season, which are:
Option 1: Only Ranji Trophy
Option 2: Only Syed Mushtaq Ali T20
Option 3: Both Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20
Option 4: Both Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare Trophy
The mail also comprised of details of the staging of the competition(s), depending upon the response and agreement by the State associations, which they have to submit by December 2.
“The BCCI will have to create a total of 6 bio-secure hubs across the country. The 38 teams will be divided into 5 Elite groups and 1 Plate group. The Elite groups will consist of 6 teams each while the Plate group will have 8 teams,” the email stated.
The details also elaborated on the duration of the proposed tournaments. The Ranji Trophy will need 67 days, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 22 days and the Vijay Hazare Trophy 28 days for completion.
While, occuring of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before the Ranji Trophy was already known, keeping in mind the IPL auction,the proposed windows are as follows: January 11 to March 18 (Ranji), December 20 to January 10 (Syed Mushtaq Ali) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (January 11 to February 7).
The six cities hosting these competitions along with the bubbles will be required to have at least three digital broadcast-friendly venues.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
