BCCI Rejects CAB’s Request to Reschedule Domestic Matches Amid Cyclone Threat
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has denied the Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB) request to reschedule two home domestic matches due to the impending Cyclone Dana. The CAB had sought to postpone the Ranji Trophy and U-23 Col CK Naidu Trophy matches against Kerala and Railways, respectively, scheduled for this week in Kolkata and Kalyani.
The Bengal senior team was set to host Kerala at the Jadavpur University Campus’ second Ground in Kolkata for the third round of the Ranji Trophy, commencing on Saturday. The CAB had hoped for a longer gap between matches this season, but the BCCI declined their request. After the Bengal-Kerala encounter, both teams will have a week’s break before their next fixtures.
The Bengal Under-23 team was scheduled to host Railways Under-23 from October 27 to 30 at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani. However, the recent Bengal vs Bihar Ranji Trophy match at the same venue was washed out due to heavy rain, raising concerns about the upcoming match. The Under-23 team will have a week-long break before their next match against Vidarbha in Nagpur from November 8 to 11.
Meanwhile, the Bengal senior team will be without key players Abhimanyu Easwaran, Abhishek Porel, and Mukesh Kumar for the next two Ranji Trophy rounds. The trio has been selected for India A’s shadow tour of Australia.
The BCCI’s decision to reject the CAB’s request has left the association disappointed. However, the matches will proceed as scheduled, with the Bengal teams hoping to overcome the challenges posed by the weather and the absence of their star players.