Players criticise BCCI's move to host Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues

Leading domestic cricketers have criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s decision to have Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues, PTI reported on Tuesday.

Some players claimed the idea fell flat due to the apathy of the host associations and poor planning.

“The idea was good but the implementation was third class. Most host associations did not show interest in organising matches for other teams,” domestic cricket veteran Rajat Bhatia said. “The facilities were poor, be it providing us with good wickets, adequate balls or serving decent food. It could have been handled much better.”

The move was put in place by the BCCI to make the tournament more competitive by negating the home advantage for the teams.

“The system was introduced to stop teams from taking undue home advantage with games often finishing inside two days. But the quality did not improve even though games were held at neutral venues,” added Bhatia.

“Take our match against Assam in Vizag for example. The wicket was not fit enough for a first-class match and therefore the match was over well inside three days. And it was just two weeks before an international match. The groundsmen did not have much to say when we asked them why we were made to play on such a poor surface.”

Players also had a grouse with the scheduling as many teams had to travel to remote areas of the country with limited time in hand.

“Sometimes there was just a three-day gap between games,” said Gujarat and India spinner Axar Patel. “We had to travel to places which were not easily accessible, which meant we had to spend a lot of time on the road in buses.”

“What is the point of having matches in places where nobody comes to see us play? At least we had a decent turnout when we were playing at home. I hope we go back to the home and away format next season,” said the left-arm spinner.