Vidarbha Delhi Ranji Trophy Ravi Shastri
Vidarbha had defeated Delhi in the finals of Ranji Trophy 2017/18.

Former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to give more cash rewards to those teams which do well in the Ranji Trophy than to those which have failed to show any improvement over the years and are merely making up the numbers in domestic cricket.

“There are some teams which have been languishing for years in the lower rankings of the Ranji Trophy. And it seems that there’s hardly any infrastructure or any programme for these teams to do well at the state level. So why should they get the same amount as the other associations? We must reward teams which are doing well in the Ranji,” Vengsarkar told The Times of India.

We Must Reward Teams Which are Doing Well in the Ranji - Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar (Credits: AFP)

Vengsarkar’s comments have come hours after a BCCI official praised Vidarbha Cricket Association for using the money at their disposal to invest in grassroots cricket eight years back. In 2009, the association had launched a residential cricket academy in Nagpur which saw the emergence of many talented players. The organisation finally got the result of their efforts when Vidarbha won their maiden Ranji Trophy title on Monday (January 1).

Vengsarkar further backed Vidarbha opener Wasim Jaffer‘s suggestion that the BCCI should reintroduce the Elite and Plate group system in the Ranji Trophy which will not only make the competition more competitive but would also give the teams a lot to play for. As per the system, the teams can get promoted to the elite league after doing well but can also get relegated to the plate division after faring badly.

“I 100 per cent agree with what Jaffer has said. There is a tendency with teams who are not doing well to not try hard enough, because there’s no incentive, or nothing to look forward to for them. To stop this kind of attitude amongst these teams, the BCCI would do well to give more money to state associations who teams make it to the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy. There will then be an incentive for the teams to stay in the Elite league and win tournaments, like Vidarbha did,” said Vengsarkar.

The batting legend also said he was glad to see Vidarbha winning the title and called it good for Indian cricket. Vidarbha defeated Delhi in the title-decider to claim their first title.

We Must Reward Teams Which are Doing Well in the Ranji - Dilip Vengsarkar
Vidarbha thrashed Delhi by nine wickets in the final (Credits: Twitter)

“I’m glad for Vidarbha. They had the players who believed in themselves. Vidarbha’s win is very good for Indian cricket because a lot of players are emerging from smaller cities like Nagpur. It’s a good change in Indian cricket, and a sign that the game has spread far and wide in India and everyone is doing well,” the 61-year-old said.

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