The knockout round of the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic tournament scheduled to begin from January 13 next year, is set to be held here in the city.
According to the fixtures sent by the BCCI to all state associations late on Monday night, Calcutta has been chosen as the venue for all the knockout-round matches of the Ranji Trophy, which couldn’t be held last season.
The knockout stage begins from February 20. In the league phase, the city will be hosting the games of Group C that comprises Karnataka, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
Alongside Eden Gardens, matches will also be held at the JU Salt Lake campus ground, Videocon Cricket Academy ground (at Salt Lake) and the CCFC, subject to its availability. “As for the fourth venue here, our first preference will be the CCFC subject to its availability,” CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said.
Bengal, placed in Group B, will begin their Ranji campaign from January 13 versus Tripura. Kerala, Haryana, Rajasthan and Vidarbha are Bengal’s other opponents in the group. All Group B matches will be played in Bangalore.
The season gets underway for Bengal on November 4 with their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy opener versus Chhattisgarh in Guwahati.
The venues for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (national one-dayers) haven’t been finalised.