BCCI Apex Council Meeting: Curtailed Domestic Season Likely From December; Other FC, List A Tourneys Could be Dropped

BCCI Apex Council Meeting: What to Expect | The BCCI Apex Council Meeting will be held virtually on Friday with the blueprint to conduct the Indian Premier League (IPL) the topmost agenda.

However, with IPL most likely to go ahead in September with T20 World Cup postponed for next year, BCCI next major hurdle is look in to the huge domestic calendar, which in all probability will be a curtailed one due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

As per the New Indian Express, BCCI is likely to propose the start of the domestic calendar from mid-December if the situation permits, that is. The Indian domestic season generally begins in September. The nearly three-month delay would mean the board will have to drop a few tournaments.

It likely that Ranji Trophy will be shortened once considering the board is hopeful of organising IPL 2021 in March. That would effectively mean no space for India’s premier 50-over domestic tournament, the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the T20 tournament, could be squeezed in keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in 2021.

The other first-class tourneys – Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup and the List A tournament Deodhar Trophy will in all probability be scrapped for this season.

When it comes to the women’s domestic cricket calendar only the 50-over Challenger Series could be organised this season keeping in mind the 50-over Women’s World Cup scheduled to be played from February 6 to March 7 in 2021.

The age-group tournaments like the Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19) and Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16) are unlikely, given the risk factor, the report further adds.

As far as India’s FTP is concerned, the agenda states that the September white-ball series versus England could be rescheduled in February following the Test series. In case BCCI wants to squeeze in the white ball games, it could well mean that the five-Test series would be curtailed to include six white-ball games (3 ODIs and 3 T20Is).

The postponed white ball tours of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe also needs to be rescheduled.

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