Ranji Trophy 2021-22 | BCCI postpones Ranji Trophy due to rising Covid-19 cases

After the last season of Ranji Trophy was cancelled last year due to Covid outbreak it is now also postponed for this season. BCCI has decided to postpone the tournament which was scheduled to start on January 13 across six cities : Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai. 

In development to the tournament, six Bengal players and also their assistant coach had tested positive for Covid-19. Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube and team’s analyst have also tested positive before the tournament. The tournament was postponed considering the fresh surge of Covid-19 cases and growing threat of the Omicron variant. BCCI secretary Jay Shah has said that the three tournaments are put on hold till further notice considering the health and safety of all the stakeholders. 

"BCCI does not want to compromise the safety of the players, support staff, match officials and other participants involved and hence, has decided to put the three tournaments on hold till further notice. The BCCI will continue to assess the situation and take a call on the start of the tournaments accordingly," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a release on Tuesday.

"BCCI thanks and continues to appreciate the efforts of the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, match officials and all the service providers who put their best foot forward to host more than 700 matches across 11 tournaments in the current 2021-22 domestic season." he added. 

The Ranji Trophy was supposed to be played for the first time since the last two seasons as it was cancelled for the first time in 85-year history in 2020-21 due to a pandemic. Also, Covid-19 cases in the country have been multiplying and several states have imposed some restrictions in their territory. 

The CK Nayudu Trophy was set to start on January 14 while the senior women’s T20 League was scheduled to commence on February 28 and both these tournaments are also postponed.