2020–21 Ranji Trophy
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2020–21 Ranji Trophy was scheduled to be the 87th season of the
Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...
, the premier
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
tournament in India. Saurashtra were the defending champions. However, in January 2021, the
Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...
(BCCI) confirmed that the season had been cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. It was the first time since the tournament's inception in the 1934–35 season that the Ranji Trophy was not held.


Background

Before the COVID-19 pandemic started, a change to the format of the tournament was submitted to the BCCI, splitting the elite teams into five groups, instead of three, therefore reducing the number of matches. However, in June 2020, the BCCI denied that any changes to the tournament's structure would be taking place. Also in June,
Rahul Dravid Rahul Sharad Dravid (; born 11 January 1973) is an Indian cricket coach and former List of India national cricket captains, captain of the Indian national cricket team, Indian national team, currently serving as its head coach. Prior to his ...
, the head of cricket at the
National Cricket Academy The National Cricket Academy is a cricket facility of the BCCI for the purpose of developing young cricketers who have been identified as having the potential to represent the Indian cricket team. It was established in the year 2000 and is loc ...
, suggested that the Indian domestic season could start later or be shortened due to the pandemic. On 19 July 2020, the
Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...
reported that the Ranji Trophy would be the only senior domestic cricket tournament to be played in the Indian 2020–21 cricket season, with teams split into five zones, North, West, South, East and Central. In August 2020, the BCCI confirmed that hosting the Ranji Trophy was "a priority". The following month, the BCCI warned that the domestic cricket season could be severely curtailed due to the pandemic, including the possibility of no cricket taking place. In December 2020, the BCCI confirmed the dates of the
2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was the thirteenth edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a Twenty20 competition that was played in India. It started on 10 January 2021, with the final taking place on 31 January 2021. Karnataka were the defendin ...
, with a decision on the Ranji Trophy due after the completion of the group stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Originally, the tournament was scheduled to start on 1 January 2021. However, the start was delayed, with the BCCI looking to begin a reduced competition from February 2021. On 30 January, the BCCI cancelled the 2020–21 Ranji Trophy season, but gave the go-ahead for the
2020–21 Vijay Hazare Trophy The 2020–21 Vijay Hazare Trophy was the 19th season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a List A cricket tournament in India. The tournament took place from 20 February to 14 March 2021. Karnataka were the defending champions. In January 2021, the Bo ...
to take place. An estimated 800 cricketers were impacted by the cancellation of the tournament, with each player due to be paid R140,000 per match.


See also

*
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cricket The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to cricket around the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Around the world and to varying degrees, leagues and competitions have been cancelled or postponed. International Tournaments In J ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Ranji Trophy Ranji Trophy seasons
Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...
Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...
Ranji Trophy Trophy
Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...