The Ranji Trophy kicked off on January 5th, and the final is scheduled for March 10th. With the semi-finals concluding on March 6th, there’s a three-day gap between each match.
Managing workload becomes a challenge for teams in the Ranji season due to consecutive matches and the pace of their fast bowlers. Teams qualifying for the finals will have to play 10 matches in two and a half months – seven four-day matches and three five-day matches from the quarter-finals onwards.
Starting from January 5th, the Ranji Trophy will go on until March 10th, with each match having a three-day gap in between, following the conclusion of the semi-finals on March 6th. Mumbai’s all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who bowled 14 overs and scored a century in Tamil Nadu’s first innings, stated that the workload has made it tough for players.
He expressed, “It’s tough because we’re playing first-class matches with a three-day gap in between. I don’t think it has ever happened before. When I started playing Ranji matches, there used to be a three-day break after the first three matches, then four days (for the second half of the league).”
“Between knockouts, there were five days. Now, we see all matches played with a three-day gap, making it challenging for domestic players. If a team makes it to the final, they’ll have to play 10 games continuously with just three days’ rest! I think they’ll have to reconsider this next year and give more breaks. The schedule is getting tighter and tighter. If boys keep playing like this for two more sessions, there will be many injuries across the country.”
For over a decade, there were nine teams in one group, meaning each team got a week’s break at some point during the league phase. But since the format was changed to Elite and Plate leagues, with eight teams in each group, all teams have been playing continuously.
Thakur cited the example of Mohit Avasthi, who bowled impressively from the start of the league. Mohit played five consecutive matches but got injured in the sixth. He had a heavy workload as Tushar (Despande) was called up to India A. Due to the workload, he got injured and missed a game. It’s challenging, especially for fast bowlers.
Thakur described the current Ranji Trophy as “demanding,” where players have just three days between matches. He said on Sunday, “If boys continue playing like this for two more sessions, there will be many injuries across the country.”
“Next year, the BCCI will have to reconsider this and give more breaks. When I played Ranji Trophy in my days, seven to eight years ago, there used to be a three-day break after the first three matches and then a four-day break, and knockout matches were played with a five-day gap.”
The team reaching the final will play 10 matches with a two-month gap and most matches in the Ranji Trophy will be four to five days long on Indian pitches, and Thakur’s words will surely be food for thought for the BCCI. Besides the fatigue from matches, traveling across the country in those three days also puts a heavy toll on players’ bodies.
With the number of IPL matches reaching 74 and league matches possibly reaching 94, domestic cricket is becoming shorter. Additionally, when there were nine teams in a group [in the old format], one team would get a break in the round-robin system. Now, with only eight teams in one group, everyone plays against each other, so that extra break is gone. Thakur mentioned the example of Mohit Avasthi, a fast bowler from Mumbai, who was included in the India A team with Tushar Deshpande due to his good performance.
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