New Delhi: Some of the state associations are awaiting confirmation from senior Indian cricketers of their team for their participation in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, which resumes on January 23. With just one week left for the premier red-ball tournament to be back in the fold, the state association boards of Delhi, Karnataka, and Saurashtra are yet to get a response from their star internationals.
The likes of opener KL Rahul, star batter Virat Kohli, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are the list of players who can be available to play for their respective state team. Nonetheless, the trio hasn’t provided any update to their state associations regarding their participation in the upcoming Ranji matches. While Saurashtra and Delhi are set to face in Rajkot, Karnataka takes on Punjab in Bengaluru. Both the matches will concurrently take place between January 23 and 26.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, Saurashtra Cricket Association said that chances of Jadeja playing for the Jaydev Unadkat-led side, but they haven’t heard from the all-rounder about it. Delhi and Districts Cricket Association secretary Ashok Sharma said the squad will be announced on Friday (January 17), but there wasn’t anything from Virat Kohli’s end. A similar response was obtained by Karnataka State Cricket Association president Raghuram Bhat over KL Rahul’s availability.
BCCI’s Mandatory Domestic Participation Rule
The developments as of now after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued guidelines for centrally-contracted players, wherein the participation in domestic cricket competition was made mandatory. This is the second such notice from the national board after a similar diktat was issued in February last year.
The strict guidelines have come after India’s 1-3 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill, who participated for India in the Test series down under, have already confirmed the participation for their respective state teams in their upcoming Ranji matches. Meanwhile, Indian captain Rohit Sharma started training with the Mumbai team, though his availability for selection is yet to be confirmed by the Mumbai Cricket Association.
The second phase of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 is set to begin January 23rd, but several state associations await confirmation from star Indian cricketers regarding their participation. Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja’s availability remains uncertain despite BCCI’s mandatory domestic participation rules for centrally contracted players. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
