BCCI CEO Rahul Johri wants to make domestic cricket an exciting property

India’s six-month-long domestic season has been a brilliant platform for both capped and uncapped players to prove their credentials at every stage of their career. And amidst the growing popularity of IPL that has widely believed to have overshadowed the domestic competitions, Johri has asserted that India’s domestic cricket is the board’s greatest asset and he wants to make it more exciting in the coming years.

India have seen cricketing greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and others coming up over the years and even the current squad of youngsters are also flooded with raw talents who have performed well in the lower level. Johri believes that it is their strong core that makes them the world leaders.

“Domestic cricket is one of the greatest assets that the BCCI owns. It’s strong and that’s why the bench-strength of all the Indian teams is strong. India will continue to be a major force as long as our domestic cricket is well conducted,” said Rahul Johri, reported The Hindu. 

The Indian domestic season is a mix of all the three formats of the games, which include Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, that runs for six months before the IPL begins. However, Johri doesn’t believe that it is tiresome for the players.

“The season lasts six months and the players keep busy during that period but I don’t see any issue of fatigue or burnout there. It is very well balanced. The Indian team, after the Supreme Court ruling, is getting rest before and after the IPL. Our aim is to give a balanced schedule. We inherited some stuff but we have to look forward and improve the image and the standard of the game,” said Johri.

IPL has always been a platform where the Indian uncapped players have got chances to play alongside international stars from all over the world, which has, in turn, helped them grow manifold. 

“IPL is great cricket. Cricket within the ropes of the eight teams will be very high. The standards will improve with so many uncapped players also on view. The international flavor is there to make it the best of the best. The TV experience will grow because of the innovations in coverage,” said the BCCI CEO.