Monsoon Forces BCCI To Postpone Start Of Domestic Season Till 30th September

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday have informed all the state cricket associations that the start of the 2021-22 domestic season has been postponed till September 30^th due to the monsoon season. The domestic season was to begin on September 28^th, 2021.

Now the board has advised the six state associations to delay the first round of Under-19 Men and Women limited-over tournaments till September 30.

In a letter written by Dhiraj Malhotra, BCCI’s General Manager for Game Development which was accessed by ANI stated: “Owing to the incessant rain and the cyclone alert issued by MET, the BCCI is compelled to postpone the start of the group stage from 28.09.2021 to 30.09.2021 at the following venues.”

The venues are as follows: Hyderabad (U-19 Boys Vinoo Mankad – Elite D), Indore (U-19 Boys Vinoo Mankad – Elite E), Vizag (U-19 Girls One Day – Elite – C), Bhubaneshwar ( U-19 Girls One Day – Plate ), Surat (U -19 Girls One Day – Elite D), Rajkot (U-19 Girls One Day Elite A), Nagpur (U-19 Girls One Day Elite B).

This change of schedule has resulted in all the matches being played back-to-back from September 30 to October 4, 2021, with no rest days in between matches. Despite the change in league stage venues, there has been no change to the knockout stage and venues. This decision has been taken to guarantee that all the matches are played and there is no loss due to the extreme weather.

“Keeping the upcoming ICC Under 19 World Cup 2022 in mind, we need to ensure that the players get a maximum opportunity and exposure to showcase their talent and make an earnest effort to be selected for the country,” stated Dhiraj in his letter.

BCCI To Hold 1054 Matches And Stage 13 Tournaments In Domestic Season 2021-22

In a note circulated among the members of the Apex Council, the BCCI has stated that it will conduct 13 tournaments. These tournaments will have a total of 1054 matches all of which will be played under a bio-secure setting. The board has tied up with the Apollo Hospitals to create the Covid-proof bio-secure environment.

Furthermore, the note stated that bio-secure bubbles will be created in over 25 cities and more than 75 hotels with at least 220 rooms in each city.

As per the note, the tournament to be conducted this season are Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy, Men’s State A One Day, Col C. K. Naidu Trophy, Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Men’s U19 One Day Challenger, Cooch Behar Trophy (Multi-Day), Senior Women’s T20 League, Senior Women’s One Day League, Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy, Women’s U19 One Day League and Women’s U19 One Day Challenger Trophy.

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