Achi news desk-
sports desk2 days ago
- copy link
Hardik Pandya has not played any Ranji match since 2018 and Krunal Pandya has not played any Ranji match since 2022.
Cricket’s biggest league IPL (Indian Premier League) starts from tomorrow ie Friday 22 March. According to a report by Indian Express, out of 165 Indian cricketers who participated in IPL 2024, 56 players have not played a single match in the Ranji Trophy this season. While, 25 players did not play more than one game. Many big Indian players are also included in this.
Hardik- Krunal did not play first class cricket for Baroda
New Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and his Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) brother Krunal Pandya have not played for Baroda in Ranji for some time. Hardik last played a domestic tournament in 2018.
Baroda Cricket Association secretary Ajit Lele said, the Pandya brothers have not told us the reason. They go to the coach or association president when they are available, but they haven’t played Ranji for some time. Krunal played white ball cricket for Baroda this season and Hardik was recovering from injury.
Ishan distanced Kishan from Ranji
India’s head coach Rahul Dravid had said that Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan should play in the Ranji Trophy to come back to India. However, Jharkhand State Cricket Association president Sanjay Sahay said, ‘He was never available for Ranji. We have not received any guidelines from the coach, selectors or BCCI.
Ishan Kishan had withdrawn his name from the tour of South Africa in December-2023. Since then he has not been available for national team selection and Ranji.
BCCI had warned the players
Last month, BCCI had warned Indian players to prioritize IPL over domestic cricket. Due to not playing Ranji Trophy matches this season, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan had to be released from the central contract.
BCCI Secretary Jai Shah said that some such things have come to light recently which are worrying. Some players have started giving priority to IPL over domestic cricket. This is an unexpected change. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation for Indian cricket.
Players agree with the franchise
After Umran Malik made headlines for the IPL, two more fast bowlers from Jammu and Kashmir, Rasikh Salam Dar and Yudhvir Singh Charak, were selected for the IPL. Both these players could not play the entire Ranji season.
Brigadier Anil Gupta of the Jammu and Kashmir unit said Rasik injured his tendon (muscle and joint) in the camp, while Yudhveer received a medical report from the LSG which said he had a shoulder injury. Our physio didn’t even examine it. Even Umran was not interested in playing in the Ranji Trophy.
DC Rasikh bought Salaam Dar at the base price of Rs 20 lakh. Before this he has also played for KKR and MI.
Even the fee for 10 Ranji matches is not equal to the base price of IPL.
The fee for playing 10 matches in Ranji is also not equal to the base price of IPL. For example, Bhupen Lalwani, who was part of Mumbai’s Ranji winning team, was paid Rs 17 lakh 20 thousand for playing 10 first-class matches. In contrast, the lowest base price for a player in the last IPL auction is Rs 20 lakh.
Apart from Ranji, domestic white ball cricket tournaments are becoming a pathway to IPL for the players. Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 and 50 over Vijay Hazare Trophy. Franchises are looking for talent from here.
World class cricket makes better T20 players – Vengsarkar
According to former India captain and BCCI managing member Dilip Vengsarkar, first-class cricket makes you a better cricketer. He said, the big season helps you improve mental toughness and temperament, which helps you become a good cricketer even in shorter formats.
In the list of top 10 IPL run scorers, every batsman has played more than 100 first-class matches, while among the bowlers, at least eight bowlers have played more than 50 such matches and are the leading bowlers of the league .
Vengsarkar, who gave Kohli a chance as a selector in the initial phase, said, I believe under-19 cricketers should not be allowed to play the T20 format. Nowadays even in school cricket they play only T-20 format.
