Sourav Ganguly, BCCI
Sourav Ganguly. Photo Credit: BCCI

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that the much-awaited domestic season will start from January 1. Previously, there were reports that the season might get underway from mid-November. According to the reports, the tentative domestic plan, the men’s season was expected to begin on November 19 and end on March 10.

However, BCCI’s previous plan did not work out and the board is now eyeing to start the season on January 1. Sourav Ganguly’s comments have come after the meeting of the BCCI Apex Council. The main agenda of the meeting was the domestic season which has been thrown into disarray by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly at the Eden Gardens (Credits: ESPNCricinfo)

“We have had extensive discussions on domestic cricket and we have tentatively decided to start the competitions from January 1, 2021,” Sourav Ganguly told PTI.

There were speculations that the upcoming domestic season might be a curtailed one due to the prevailing circumstances. When asked about that, the BCCI boss said the board won’t be able to accommodate all domestic tournaments for practical purposes. He also assured that the junior cricket and women’s tournaments will be held between March and April.

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“We will certainly have the full fledged Ranji Trophy red-ball tournament. It will probably not be possible to hold all tournaments,” said the batting legend while hinting that BCCI is eyeing the January-March window for Ranji Trophy.

“We also have elaborate plans for our age group and women’s cricket. We will start with Ranji Trophy and then we will also have the other tournaments between March and April,” he added.

Saurashtra, India, Ranji Trophy, Star Players, Ranji Trophy 2019-20
Saurashtra players after winning Ranji Trophy 2019-20 (Source: Twitter)

Sourav Ganguly on England series:

With the BCCI eyeing to start the domestic season in January, the chances of hosting England at home look bright. UAE remains a second option for BCCI if hosting England in India becomes tough. Speaking about that, Sourav Ganguly said:

“The England series is good three and a half to four months away. We still have time. We are monitoring the situation (COVID-19) which is pretty fluid and will take a call accordingly.”

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