Ranji Trophy 2022 postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases

Ranji Trophy 2022 postponed: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have decided to postpone the upcoming Ranji Trophy season amid the rising COVID-19 Omicron cases in the country. Ranji Trophy, which was cancelled last year, was set to resume this month but was delayed once again with BCCI opting to indefinitely call off the tournament. The tournament was set to kick off on January 13, having previously been postponed from November 16 last year. Follow Insidesport.in for all Ranji Trophy 2022 LIVE Updates.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced the postponement of the Ranji Trophy, Col C K Nayudu Trophy & Senior Women’s T20 League for the 2021-22 season in the wake of the rising COVID-19 cases in the country,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Ranji Trophy 2022 postponed: BCCI postpones Ranji Trophy due to rising COVID-19 cases – Follow Live Updates

BCCI full statement:

The Ranji Trophy & Col C K Nayudu Trophy were scheduled to begin this month while the Senior Women’s T20 League was scheduled to commence in February.

BCCI does not want to compromise the safety of the players, support staff, match officials and other participants involved and hence, has decided to put the three tournaments on hold till further notice. The BCCI will continue to assess the situation and take a call on the start of the tournaments accordingly.

BCCI thanks and continues to appreciate the efforts of the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, match officials and all the service providers who put their best foot forward to host more than 700 matches across 11 tournaments in the current 2021-22 domestic season.

Also Read: Ranji Trophy 2022: Covid crisis deepens in CAB, President Avishek Dalmiya tests positive ahead of Ranji matches at Eden Gardens

Ranji Trophy 2022 postponed: BCCI postpones Ranji Trophy due to rising COVID-19 cases – Follow Live Updates

Only on Tuesday morning, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly assured that there will be no changes in Ranji Trophy schedule. However, the current situation in Kolkata where the matches were to start is not great. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has seen a Covid-19 outbreak with President Avishek Dalmiya testing positive besides seven Bengal Ranji team players.

The BCCI top brass also communicated with the state associations, which were to host the tournament, to take stock of the situation. The board were confident of hosting the tournament in a bio-secure environment , but decided to opt for a wait and watch approach with cases rising.

“The decision was taken after considering all the factors. We will continue to monitor the situation. Several associations, too, have reported a surge in COVID cases. So, keeping that and travel factors in mind, this was the best decision,” the source told Sportstar.

The Mumbai team had already reached Kolkata to play a couple of practice games before entering the bubble. But now, it is understood that the team will return to Mumbai by Wednesday.

More to follow…

Cricket