August 1 (CRICKETNMORE) - The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) technical committee under the chairmanship of Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday decided to revert to the home-away format of Ranji Trophy league matches.
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\r\nThe BCCI had last year decided to host Ranji Trophy on neutral venues for the 2016-17 season after numerous complaints about home teams doctoring the pitches.
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\r\nHowever, most of the domestic captains gave the neutral venues format a thumbs down during the Captains Conclave in Mumbai earlier this year, when it became clear that the idea was a flop.
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\r\n"There will be a change from the past as far as Ranji Trophy is concerned," BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary told reporters here after the meeting.
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\r\n"All league matches will be home and away as it was two seasons ago. The knockout matches will continue to be in neutral venues."
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\r\n"The committee also decided that for junior cricket, while the home and away will continue for league matches, the knockout matches will again be at neutral venues."
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\r\nChoudhary said: "Because of the addition of Chhattisgarh last year, the total number of teams in the Ranji Trophy became 28 as you are aware, leading to a skewed set-up of Ranji Trophy with 9+9+10 which works out to 28."
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\r\n"These 28 teams will be spilt up into four different groups. With top two teams qualifying for the quarter-finals and then further."
\r\nThe Duleep Trophy, he said, will be played with the pink ball like last year and most matches will be played under floodlights.
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\r\n"We will continue will pink ball in the Duleep Trophy matches and most of them will be D\/N affairs," Choudhary said.
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\r\nOn the Ranji Trophy, likely to start from October 6, reverting to the old format, Ganguly said: "The teams want that and we also want that."
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\r\n"Vinoo Mankad Trophy has been the board's season-opening tournament for 10 years, and that's how it will be this year," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n