IPL 2021 auction forces states to prefer Mushtaq Ali Trophy over Ranji Trophy?

India's domestic season is yet to get underway as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a major hurdle towards the resumption of cricket activities. In order to start the domestic season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently asked the state associations' on the structure of the shortened season as it plans to create six bio-secure hubs across the country between December and March.

According to earlier PTI  report, the board has proposed 67 days for the Ranji Trophy (January 11-March 18), 22 days for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament (December 20 to January 10) while the Vijay Hazare Trophy, if held, can be conducted between January 11 to February 7 for a period of 28 days. However, it looks like the BCCI's suggestion has not been accepted by some state associations, who in turn have asked for change of dates for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament.

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IPL 2021 auction: Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI asked to postpone Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament

With multiple media reports suggesting that the IPL 2021 auction happening at the start of next year, PTI in its latest report has reported that top domestic sides like Karnataka, Saurashtra and Punjab have officially requested the BCCI to conduct the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament from January instead of proposed December 20 date as they would be short of preparations for a big-ticket event like this. Reportedly, Karnataka is the only state that wants all the tournaments (Ranji Trophy, Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy) this season.

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A senior BCCI official, who spoke to the news agency on anonymity, has said that apart from the above-mentioned states, Kerala, Odisha and Meghalaya are the other three states who have all written to the BCCI about conducting the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January. Earlier, ESPNCricinfo reported that the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy has been preferred by teams like Mumbai, Punjab, Baroda, Tamil Nadu and even defending Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra.  

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Bengal in contention to host Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

With BCCI looking at options to create an IPL-style biosecure bubble, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is one of the potential hosts for the National T20 Championships with three grounds available -- Eden Gardens, JU (Salt Lake) and Kalyani in Kolkata. The Bengal T20 Challenge is currently ongoing in the city and the tournament will be an indicator for the state unit to check out if they are capable of creating a bio-bubble.

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BCCI likely to get the nod for two new teams in IPL 2021

While the BCCI is currently looking to plan out the domestic season, reports have surfaced that the next edition could see two new teams. The decision over the IPL 2021 new teams will be taken by the BCCI after taking approval from the representatives of all the state associations.

Image: Karnataka Ranji Team / Twitter