BCCI to Announce the Venues for Home Matches Today

BCCI is all set to announce the venues for the home season today (March 17), as per a report in TOI.

The apparent aim of BCCI to take this step to inform the public well in advance about the venues for the coming matches. As per the tradition, BCCI does not announce the venues and dates in advance.

Only a tentative list of fixtures gets released which just tells the month when the series will be played.

In case of just a series or two, BCCI only comes up with venues and dates just a few days before the start of the series.

In 2016/17 as well, before the mega home season, BCCI only announced the venues for the matches in July while the season started on September 22.

If the public knows the venue for the games well in advance, it would always help BCCI,

“There have been a lot of logistical hassles in the past, with venues being finalised mere weeks before the match date. State associations need time to work out their own programmes. Last year a lot of India ‘A’ matches and Ranji Trophy matches overlapped. Some players had to opt out of domestic matches to be fit for international matches. If regular India players can travel with the ‘A’ team to England before the actual series starts, they can get adequate match practice,” a BCCI official told TOI.

The next season of Indian cricket team starts in June, with a Test match against Afghanistan.

Following that, India will travel to Ireland for two T20Is followed by a more than two-month-long tour of England.

In England, the Virat Kohli-led team will play three T20Is, three ODIs and five Test matches.

After coming back to the country, the men in blue will then play Asia Cup and a series against the Windies, comprising of two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is at home.

The venue for Asia Cup is yet to be decided due to various issues between BCCI and PCB.

After the Windies series, India will travel to Australia for four Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. Soon after, India will fly to New Zealand to play just white ball cricket game. The tour comprises of five ODIs and five T20Is.

After returning from New Zealand, India will again face Australia in five ODIs and two T20Is at home. A three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe will mark an end to India’s season in March.

Though the season will come to an end, Indian players will continue to play, as there is IPL scheduled in April and May followed by the World Cup, starting in the last week of May.

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