Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Tournament To Start From January 10, Teams To Assemble on January 2

The much-awaited Indian domestic season is set to get underway from January 10 with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. The teams will assemble in their bio-hubs on January 2 and the final is set to be played on January 31.

The BCCI had given various options to the State Units to pick from different competitions and T20 trophy remained the favourite of all the associations.

Adding on, the BCCI secretary said:

“The BCCI will subsequently seek further feedback from the members on organising any other domestic tournament/tournaments and a decision will be taken after the group stage of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“The Members are requested to factor a subsequent tournament in their planning and make the arrangements accordingly. Also, the last date for the Inter-state transfer and registration of Guest players are hereby extended till December 20, 2020. Further details pertaining to the tournament for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be shared in due course with the members.”

It has been learnt that a call on whether the Ranji Trophy could be held will be taken after the T20 tournament depending on how things pan out.

One of the state unit officials said that they are awaiting details.

“We are waiting for details from the Board as to what’s to be done next. We are awaiting clarity on the bio-bubbles and how they want us to go about it,” a state unit chief told this publication.

A couple of weeks ago, the Board had written to the state bodies seeking their preference of tournaments. Keeping the safety protocols in mind, most associations had opted for the limited-overs tournament.

The Mushtaq Ali Trophy has been preferred because the BCCI plans to hold a mega auction for the Indian Premier League in February, with two teams being added to the list. And the Board insiders feel that because of logistical issues, the second tournament could be the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

“There are still a lot of protocols in place in various states, so it would be a challenge to host the Ranji Trophy, whereas Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy takes less time, so maybe the Board can think of just organising the shorter tournaments this season,” a state association secretary said.