Uttarakhand all set to play Ranji Trophy after 18-year wait
The nine-member 'consensus committee’ has finally cleared Uttarakhand to be a part of this year’s Ranji Trophy league after a wait of almost 18 years. The five states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, and Meghalaya have also asked the SC to allow them to participate in the tournament.
After a tedious wait of 18 years, the state of Uttarakhand was cleared to participate in the 2018-19 season of the Ranji Trophy. A nine-member ‘consensus committee’ which included CoA’s Vinod Rai gave the go-ahead to the state authorities to assemble a squad for the domestic tournament.
The nine-member committee included six members from different cricket associations of the state, one Uttarakhand government nominee as the state government has ownership of Dehradun's international stadium, and two BCCI nominees, which included the reputed Professor Ratnakar Shetty.
“They (all rival associations in Uttarakhand) have swept aside their differences to ensure that a team from Uttarakhand plays Ranji Trophy and other BCCI tournaments from the upcoming season. So, by consensus, a committee has been formed with BCCI nominees in it. It will start working from next week onwards,” Rai told PTI sources.
CoA member and former women’s team player Diana Edulji and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri were also part of the meeting. The ‘consensus committee’ was expected to be around for one year before a BCCI recognized body was to be formed in the state of Uttarakhand.
The BCCI technical committee had earlier recommended the inclusion of Bihar and northeastern states in the upcoming domestic season. This meant that the number of teams competing in Ranji Trophy could go up to 36 this year. The five northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, and Meghalaya have also told the Supreme Court that they would like to play as independent teams in the Ranji Trophy.
The previous season of the Ranji Trophy saw 28 teams taking part in the domestic competition with seven sides divided into four groups. Now, with the number of teams set to increase this season, there is a possibility of the BCCI creating a second division to accommodate the newcomers.
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