JOIN US Mysore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Indore have emerged as the front-runners to host the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals to be held from January 8-12.
According to latest guidelines for the knockout matches, the Board of Control for Cricket in India had shortlisted 10 venues for the five-day quarterfinal matches and the Karnataka State Cricket Association, who had the option of holding the match either in Bangalore or Mysore as both had been in the 10 venues identified by the BCCI, have conveyed their desire to have the match in Mysore.
“Since this (quarterfinal) is not going to be telecast, we decided to hold it in Mysore,” said KSCA spokesperson Vinay Mrythyunjaya.
It can be recalled that the BCCI had decided to reward ‘good’ Ranji Trophy venues by awarding them knockout matches in an effort to avoid home teams doctoring the pitches to their advantage. The Board did have a ‘neutral-venue’ rule for quarterfinals, semifinals and final matches a few years ago but the system met with criticism by several people, forcing the policy makers to go back to the home-away basis to decide host grounds.